The Necromancer
by Pyro Flare
Summary: Two mysterious Akatsuki members have caused a zombie outbreak in Konohagakure! Will its residents survive before the zombies or the Akatsuki cause their deaths? Rated M for strong language, blood, and gore. Story completed.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**DISCLAIMER:** I only own three original characters (so far; a few show up later). There will also be swearing and gore. Repeat this for every chapter.

This takes place after the Hidan and Kakuzu arc. Some things that happen afterward in the manga remain in this story, others do not (although I'll try to stay as close to the canon as possible). This story starts out a bit... slow... but it picks up at chapter 3. Also note that this was first written about two years ago when I was still a fledgling writer. Expect increased quality as you delve deeper into this tale. If you want quality _now,_ you're in luck. I have recently published a revised version of this story entitled _"The Necromancer: Revisited"_. I recommend you read that one since it will be better all around.

_Also, if you read this, please take the time to review._

* * *

The Necromancer: Chapter 1:

Two people clad in black cloaks with red clouds upon them approached the entrance to Konohagakure. One was wearing a face-covering bamboo shade, and the other had a baggy hood that hid the face. The person wearing the shade had several sheathed blades strapped to his back. It was midnight, and the full moon lit up the forest path with an eerie glow. The gates became closer and closer with each step.

"And so begins the destruction of Konoha..." the man wearing the shade said. The hooded person nodded.

Soon they were in front of the gates. Three jonin stood guard.

"Who are you two?" one of them asked.

"Wait... look at the cloaks! They are members of Akatsuki! Quick alert the others!" another jonin exclaimed.

"I don't think so!" the man wearing the shade said. He quickly unsheathed one of his swords, a thicker and larger katana. He slit one jonin's throat and immediately stabbed the other jonin in the chest, killing them both. The other jonin was too frightened to do anything. The man scoffed and sheathed his sword.

"Pathetic," he said.

The other Akatsuki member approached the cowering jonin.

"Is he the first one?" The man asked the hooded member, who nodded in reply.

"Why don't you talk?" he asked.

The hooded member said nothing, and thrust his or her gloved palm in front of the cowering jonin. A yellow gas then formed in front of it and extended outwards, snaking into the man's nose. The man then fell unconscious.

"It will take effect soon... we best go to the 'observatory'," the hooded member said.

The man gasped.

"So the fearsome and mysterious Necromancer is a woman?" the man said in disbelief.

The Necromancer said nothing and started walking off.

"W-wait for me!" the man said as he followed her.

A wolf howled in the distance. It was a low, sad-sounding howl.

* * *

Naruto sleepily woke up. He glanced at the clock next to him.

"Ah, man, it's only two o' clock," he sleepily mumbled.

He tried going back to sleep, but he couldn't. Ten minutes passed, and he gave up.

"This sucks," he yawned, "I guess I'll get up, then."

He got dressed and he decided to stroll around the town until dawn. There was nothing better to do, anyway.

That's when he heard slow and irregular footsteps in the distance.

"Strange..." Naruto mumbled, "I guess it's just someone going to the bathroom."

The footsteps got louder and louder. Whoever was making the noise, they were coming to his room.

Then there was a loud _thud!_ at his door. He jumped.

"Ah!" Naruto exclaimed, "Calm down, will ya? You frightened me!"

There was no response besides another thud at the door.

"Okay! Okay!" Naruto grumbled. He opened the door. Sleepiness was clouding his thoughts.

A woman was in the doorway. She immediately made a low growl, grabbed Naruto, and tried to bite him. Naruto punched her in the face and backed away.

"What's the matter with you, crazy lady?" he asked.

The woman slowly got up. She had short red hair and her mouth hung open. She moaned and slowly approached Naruto with an odd walking style, like... shambling.

Her eyes shocked Naruto the most. They were like Hinata's Byakugan, but they were different. These eyes were completely white and had no feeling behind them. Naruto was now scared.

Then he saw a chunk of flesh missing from her leg. No blood poured from the wound. There was blood around the wound, but none of it was coming from the wound. The woman simply continued approaching Naruto, moaning. Naruto was really scared now.

"What's going on?" he asked himself. He remembered reading some books like this. They were about "zombies," fictional creatures that Naruto loved reading about. This woman seemed very similar to a zombie.

"Could she be a zombie?" Naruto asked himself, "No way! It can't be! Zombies aren't real! I _have_ to be dreaming!"

Naruto pinched his hand as hard as he could to wake himself up. He cried out in pain and stopped pinching himself.

"No! I'm not dreaming!" Naruto gasped. The woman was now close to him, and Naruto's back was pressed against a wall. He panicked and looked around the room for some weapon to use. He then eyed his kunai pouch and grabbed it and took a kunai from it. The woman lunged for Naruto and grabbed him. He kicked her off and stabbed the kunai in her chest. She only flinched from the force of the kunai hitting her, but made no other noise except the moan. No blood poured from the wounds. Naruto withdrew the kunai and started to hyperventilate.

_No way! She is a zombie! She can't feel pain!_ Naruto thought. _I never got to the part in the books that said how to kill them!_ He then grabbed some nearby shuriken and tossed them at her. She flinched from the force of them slamming into her skin, but she made no sign of feeling pain. She reached out and grabbed Naruto's arm and moved her mouth towards it. Naruto closed his eyes.

"NO!" Naruto yelled. He slammed the kunai on her head, blade pointing down. She stopped and crumpled to the floor.

Naruto opened his eyes. The kunai was deep in the woman's skull.

_Is that how you kill them? You destroy the brain?_ Naruto thought.

Naruto then put on his shuriken and kunai pouches. He stared at the woman's corpse for a bit, thinking about what he had just witnessed.

_This can't be happening! This can't!_ he thought.

He then gasped.

"Oh no! Sakura!" he realized, "I've got to protect her!"

He quickly ran out of his apartment room and dashed downstairs and left the building.

Naruto gasped. About five other zombies were roaming around.

_I've got to save her!_ he thought.

He ignored the zombies and went towards Sakura's house.


	2. Chapter 2: Day 1's Beginning

The Necromancer, Chapter 2:

Naruto was on his way to Sakura's house. His arm was starting to sting a little. He had completely forgotten about his arm in the encounter with that zombie. It was still recovering from the damage his rasen shuriken caused it. He was able to move it a little, but it still hurt. He paused for a moment. No zombies were around this area. Why? Were they only near his apartment?

_No time to think, _Naruto thought, _I have to save Sakura!_

He continued his trek to her house.

* * *

Sasuke paused. A sense of ill omen filled him. _Odd..._ he thought.

"Why'd you stop?" Karin asked, "I thought you were so intent on killing this 'Itachi' person."

"It's n-nothing... just a weird feeling," Sasuke replied. He continued walking.

* * *

Naruto had arrived at Sakura's house. He was about to go in, but a cloaked man wearing an Akatsuki robe leapt down from the rooftops. He had blue spikish hair and unusual eyes that had unnaturally large yellow irises that glowed in the night. He was grinning, revealing sharp canines. He had several sheathed bladed weapons strapped to his back.

"I'm afraid you'd alert everyone too early," the Akatsuki member said. He punched Naruto in the gut. Naruto let out a grunt of pain. The man then kneed Naruto in the face, knocking him unconscious. The man picked up Naruto and threw him at a wall. He then left, oddly enough. What were the motives of this man?

* * *

"Ow... my head..." Naruto groaned. He suddenly remembered what had happened.

"Sakura!" he exclaimed. He looked around. The sun was just beginning to rise. He quickly looked around and saw that he was near her house. Without thinking, he ran inside.

He instantly knew something had happened. The place was a wreck. Furniture was toppled over or moved from their positions. Naruto gulped. He panicked when he saw some blood on the wall. He then saw Sakura's mom facing a mirror. Her back was facing him and her head was blocking the majority of the view of the mirror. Naruto noticed an arm by her feet with bite wounds on it. He then saw what the arm belonged to: a half-eaten corpse of a man that was to the left of the arm.

"Um... Sakura's mom?" Naruto nervously asked. He now noticed her long pink hair was a bit messy, and that she was slouching. Sakura's mom didn't reply. Naruto then leaned over to see the mirror.

He gasped and took a step back in shock when he saw her reflection. Her eyes were pure white and there was dried blood around her open mouth. Her neck was very bloody and had several bite wounds, but they weren't bleeding anymore. She then turned around and let out a moan and slowly shambled towards Naruto.

_No!_ Naruto thought, _This can't be happening!_ This saddened Naruto. He didn't even know Sakura's mom's name, but Sakura would be sad to hear what happened...

_Sakura!_ Naruto suddenly thought. He panicked, wondering if she was alive or not. He ignored the zombie and ran up the stairs and saw Sakura's room. He opened it and ran in.

"Sakura!!!" Naruto yelled. Sakura was sleeping in her bed somehow, even though the struggle downstairs should've woken her up. When Naruto yelled, Sakura nearly jumped out of her bed.

"NARUTO!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!!!" Sakura screamed. Naruto was staring at her chest. Sakura looked down and saw that the sheets on her bed covering her chest and slipped downwards during her jump of shock.

Sakura's face turned a deep shade of red as she quickly pulled up her sheets.

"PERVERT!" she yelled, slapping Naruto, "I BET YOU KNEW I SLEPT NAKED, SO YOU'D COME HERE AND PULL THE SHIT YOU JUST PULLED RIGHT NOW!!!"

"Sakura! No! OW!" Naruto cried in pain as he silently cursed his misfortune, "I came to warn you! Something bad's happening!"

Sakura kept slapping Naruto.

"OWWW!!!! I'M SERIOUS!!!" Naruto yelled. Sakura stopped slapping him. She had a pissed look on her face.

"This better be important," she spat.

_How will she believe zombies exist?_ Naruto thought, _I'm screwed..._

"This will sound unbelievable, but it's true. There are... zombies in Konoha. They are pretty much just like the ones in those books I like. I don't know how they came to be, but I awoke late at night and came to warn you, but an Akatsuki member showed up and knocked me out! And... I'm sorry, but... your mom's a zombie. We need to act quickly. She probably coming up here to eat us!" Naruto said.

"Bullshit! How would you expect me to believe that?" Sakura said, obviously letting Inner Sakura doing the talking.

"Would I lie to you with such a ridiculous story, even though I have in the past?" Naruto asked. He sounded dead serious. In the silence that followed, Sakura heard approaching irregular footsteps.

"I... feel like believing you, but I can't. It's just too..." Sakura said.

At that moment, the door was burst open by Sakura's mom. She grabbed Naruto and went to bite his shoulder, but Naruto punched her face and shoved her off. He moved next to Sakura. Sakura gasped. Her hands started shaking. This was real. This was happening. This was too realistic to be a dream of hers, and the wounds on her mom looked genuine and not like some makeup used in a cruel prank. Sakura felt tears roll down her cheeks. She wanted to move or wake up, but she couldn't do either of them.

Naruto clenched his teeth and took a kunai out of his pouch. He thrust it in Sakura's mom's face, some blood colored gel-like liquid coming from the wound. Sakura's mom fell over, lifeless.

Sakura was now sobbing. Naruto looked at Sakura in sadness.

"I'll... let you cope with your loss. Tell me when your ready to come with me..." Naruto said sadly. He left the room and closed the door.

Sakura's sobs continued. He heard several cries, but "Mom..." and "Why!?" were the most common ones. After a few minutes, Sakura came out of the room, fully dressed. She closed the door. She had tear stains around her eyes.

Naruto got up and hugged Sakura. Sakura returned the embrace. They stood there for a good minute or so, and then they released each other.

"Thanks for warning me and comforting me," Sakura said, "And I'm sorry for slapping you..."

"It's okay, I deserved those slaps," Naruto said grinning. He expected Sakura to smile back, but her face still contained a look of deep sorrow.

"What do we do?" Sakura asked, "I... I still can't believe what just happened..."

"Isn't it obvious? We have to warn everyone!" Naruto exclaimed.

"But who to warn first?" Sakura asked, "And you mentioned Akatsuki, right? This is very dangerous... What _do_ we do?"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto realized, "He should be at the ninja memorial stone by now! He can help!"

"Okay... I guess that would work..." Sakura said, obviously not paying attention. A lone tear rolled down her cheek. Naruto knew she was still saddened about her mom.

"It'll be okay, Sakura. Realize if we act soon enough, we can save people. So people don't have to go through what you are going through," Naruto said.

Sakura said nothing for a bit.

"Let's go..." she said quietly.

So they set off.


	3. Chapter 3: Revelation

The Necromancer, Chapter 3:

It was about seven A.M. Shikamaru was in his house, playing Shogi with his dad, Shikaku. It was quite early, so it was very odd when a loud thud was heard at the door.

"What the hell?" Yoshino, Shikamaru's mom, swore, "Who's causing that racket?"

Another thud. Then another. It appeared to be heavy knocking.

"Weirdest damn knocking I've ever heard," Yoshino said.

"Could you please tell him to be quiet?" Shikamaru asked, "I'm trying to concentrate. How troublesome."

Yoshino opened the door. She shrieked. Shikamaru and Shikaku stopped playing Shogi and went to investigate.

The man in front of her had a large chunk missing out of his neck. His nose was broken and pushed up and his face seemed caved in, like his face was bashed several times into a table or something. He had some blood around his open mouth. He let out a moan as he grabbed the fleeing Yoshino's arm.

"Get the fuck off of me!" she exclaimed. She screamed in pain as the man bit into her arm. Shikamaru and Shikaku had arrived.

"LET GO OF HER!" Shikaku yelled as he kicked the man in the face. He crashed into a nearby wall.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Shikamaru asked. He was now worried.

"I'm fine," Yoshino said, "The bastard bit me. He looked like he was about to rip off my skin, too. But why?"

"Are you okay, honey? You look a bit pale," Shikaku asked Yoshino.

"N-no, I'm... fine..." Yoshino said, suddenly sounding very weak. She then collapsed. Before she could hit the ground, Shikamaru caught her.

"Mom!" Shikamaru yelled, "Wake up!"

Shikaku saw the man get up out of the corner of his eye. He quickly restrained the man with shadow jutsus.

"Honey!" Shikaku called to Yoshino. He then said to Shikamaru, "Son, investigate the man. I'll take care of your mom!"

Shikamaru nodded and went to the man, who struggled futilely within the shadow jutsu. The man's eyes were completely white, almost like the Byakugan, but this was... different. These eyes had no soul or feeling behind them.

_This is odd..._ Shikamaru thought, _he has a huge chunk out of his neck, but there is too little blood around the wound. Why did he try to bite Mom? It makes no sense. It kind of reminds me of... zombie stories... But that's ridiculous. Zombies are fiction._

"Good, you're okay!" Shikamaru heard his dad exclaim, "You had me worried for a- AUGH!"

Shikamaru looked to see what was happening. His eyes widened in terror. His mother had bitten into his father's neck, and had ripped out and was chewing a large chunk of it. Shikaku was struggling to breathe and blood was flowing from the wound. His mother's eyes were the same as the mysterious attacker's!

_Fuck,_ Shikamaru thought, _What the hell is happening? No! Zombies are real! DAMN!_

His mother was now eating more of his father. Shikamaru panicked.

_No! Mom! Dad!_ he thought. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. He then wiped them away. Now was not the time for crying. It was do or die. His father was sprawled across the ground, dead. His mother had gotten up and was now approaching Shikamaru slowly. Her mouth was wide open. He could see the blood smeared around her mouth, and piece of bloody flesh in between her teeth, the saliva running down her mouth. It made Shikamaru sick to see what his mother had become. His mother moaned as she approached him. The man moaned as he was freed from the jutsu. Shikamaru leapt back away from the cursed man who had assaulted his mother in the first place.

Shikamaru then heard another moan. His father had now gotten up and was approaching him as well. His eyes had the same soulless color and look to them. Shikamaru almost threw up when he saw the huge chunk missing from his neck. He could see the esophagus and the trachea; a section of the trachea was missing and a small piece of the esophagus was missing.

_SHIT!_ Shikamaru thought, _What about the rest of the village? What about Ino? Choji? Naruto? Kurenai? I have to go find them!!!_

Shikamaru looked around for an escape. His zombified parents were in front of the door and the corpse of the man. Thinking quickly, he jumped out a nearby window into the streets.

It wasn't a dream. At least ten other zombies were in the streets, either roaming around, or banging on people's doors.

"Fuck!" Shikamaru yelled.

Shikamaru stared in horror at the zombies outside. He couldn't move. His feet felt like they were glued to the ground.

_W-what the hell do I do? Who do I rescue first?_ Shikamaru thought.

Five zombies were slowly approaching him, moaning for his flesh. The others were busy trying to force open doors of houses.

_Kurenai! I have to make sure she's alive! I can't break my promise to Kurenai!_ Shikamaru decided.

The thought of Kurenai filled him with courage. He quickly ran to Kurenai's house, dodging any of the slow zombies in the way.

* * *

Kakashi was at the memorial that honored fallen ninja. He stared at it, but his mind was focused on Rin and Obito. A lone tear fell down his normal eye as he remembered that event. Kakashi was too focused on his memories to hear the slow footsteps in the grass behind him.

A zombie approached Kakashi. He used to be a jonin due to the outfit he was wearing, but blood was all over his mouth and his shirt. He moaned as he got closer and closer to Kakashi.

Kakashi heard the moan. He turned his head to look at what was behind him.

_This man is not human anymore,_ was the first thought Kakashi had. The man's soulless eyes stared into his.

"Stop, or I will kill you," Kakashi commanded. The man kept approaching. His mouth was open and Kakashi could see saliva dripping from it.

"I am serious. Stop now. This is your last chance," Kakashi said. The man was only a few feet from Kakashi now. He could see the man's yellowed teeth as he tried to grab Kakashi. This man was definitely not human anymore. He seemed to be nothing but a walking corpse... a zombie. He had all of the trademark features from the relatively entertaining novels Kakashi sometimes read. Kakashi made a hand seal and a sharp stalagmite burst from the ground, skewering the man through the chest. Relatively little blood came from the wound. The man did not scream in pain, he just kept moaning and futilely trying to grab Kakashi.

_This is bad..._ Kakashi thought. He made the same hand seal and another stalagmite burst from the ground, this time piercing the man right through the head, between the eyes. The man slouched over, lifeless. Well, he was lifeless before. It didn't matter, the man was dead now.

Kakashi looked troubled. _What if there are more? What if Konoha is completely overrun?_ he thought.

He heard more footsteps. He faced the direction of the noise and saw three more zombies approaching him.

"Shit!" he swore aloud. Each zombie he saw made him worry more for Konoha and the people within it.

The three approaching him were two more male jonin, and a female who just seemed to be a civilian. All of them had bloodied faces and clothing. One of the jonin had part of his face missing, revealing only the bone. The female had a large noticeable wound on her neck, trachea clearly visible, and she had a piece of her left ear missing.

Kakashi tried not to vomit. He looked at the ground and swallowed the vomit coming up. He took a few deep breaths, and without looking, made another hand seal.

He heard the sounds of the ground rising up, wrapping around the zombies, and the crunch of the entire body being crushed by immense pressure. He then heard the ground turn to normal and the sickening noise of blood and guts and what little remained of the body hit the ground. He turned away and looked up. Extensive blood and gore made him uneasy. He then heard more footsteps behind him.

_Great, more..._ he sarcastically thought, _I should use a less gory jutsu to dispose of them._

He made a hand seal and spun around in the direction of the footsteps. His eyes widened as he saw who he was targeting.

"MOVE!!!" Kakashi yelled, "NOW!!!"

Naruto and Sakura were confused. The ground then split open, and they dodged the stalagmites by a split second. They were breathing heavily when Kakashi approached them.

"Sorry about that..." Kakashi said with a small smile under his mask.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?!?" Naruto yelled.

"Shh..." Kakashi said, placing a finger to his masked mouth, "We might attract more. Zombies approached me, as you can see behind me, and I heard more footsteps, so I thought it was more zombies. Turned out it was you two. Good thing you dodged."

Naruto glared at Kakashi. Sakura was staring at the ground with a sad look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked Sakura. She did not answer.

"Oh... her mom got turned into a zombie..." Naruto said sadly.

"Damn!" Kakashi said, "How are zombies existing? Who did this? And why here?"

"I did have an Akatsuki member attack me on my way to Sakura's," Naruto said, "I haven't seen him before. He knocked me out. He had swords strapped to his back and he had weird yellow eyes..."

"What!?!" Kakashi exclaimed in disbelief, "So _Akatsuki_ is behind all of this..." Kakashi murmured, saying "Akatsuki" with extreme detest, like it was a vile poison, "But why? It doesn't go at all with their goals. Wiping out Konoha with this jutsu has nothing to do with the tailed beasts. It's far too risky to use such a jutsu to get the Kyuubi, because you could die... I have a feeling something much more sinister is behind this..."

"I still don't know if Akatsuki did it," Naruto said, "And there was just one guy. They always go in pairs, right? So another member is somewhere in Konoha..."

"This situation seems very grim," Kakashi said, "Akatsuki is the most likely cause of this. No member would just be in Konoha..."

"I remember him saying something like, 'I can't have you alerting the whole town too early,'" Naruto said.

"What a fool," Kakashi said, "We know now that Akatsuki is behind this. The person who made this jutsu has to be Sannin level. To make a jutsu like this is just... astonishing... Anyways, we have to alert Tsunade!"

"Right! Let's go!" Naruto exclaimed.

They quickly headed to the Administration building.


	4. Chapter 4: Akatsuki's Attack

The Necromancer, Chapter 4:

Tsunade was in her office at the Administration Building. She was currently very bored. She was drumming her fingers on her desk while impatiently fidgeting with a pencil.

"Will you stop that?" Shizune asked, annoyed.

"Only if something interesting happens," Tsunade sighed.

* * *

A man near the Administration Building was walking by when he saw an unusual sight. A woman was slowly approaching him, and she was bleeding heavily from between the neck and shoulder, her hand pressing above the wound.

"Shit!" he swore. He ran to the woman, who collapsed. He caught her.

"SOMEONE HELP!!!" the man yelled, "WE NEED A MEDICAL-NIN HERE! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!!!"

Tsunade had a window open in her office, and she heard the ANBU man yell.

"Convenient," Tsunade said, "Wait here," she told Shizune, "I'll be back."

Shizune nodded. Tsunade quickly ran outside to where the man was. She could immediately tell things weren't going well. Blood was everywhere. She froze, but shrugged away her fear. She had to save this woman. The man had laid the woman on the ground as a small crowd of civilians had gathered around.

"Thank goodness!" the man exclaimed as he saw Tsuande approach.

Tsunade quickly examined the wound.

_What the hell?_ she thought, _This is a bite wound, but the bite wasn't caused by a beast... it was caused by a human._

Tsunade shrugged off the thought. She was just sleepy from boredom. Also, there was too much blood around the bite, so she wasn't sure if it was a human bite. It did look like it, though.

"Well?" the man asked, "She's really hurt!"

"Oh, yes... sorry about that," Tsunade said. She placed her hands above the wound and used her chakra to heal it. The people around applauded.

Tsunade was too shocked to thank the applauding civilians. Her eyes were focused on the now healed wound. The bite marks were very easy to make out now. They _were_ the marks of human teeth.

"Why... why isn't she getting better?" the man asked.

Tsunade then noticed that the woman's breathing was becoming more rapid. The color was draining from her skin.

_What!?! How is this possible?_ Tsunade thought. She healed the woman some more, but nothing worked. The people observing the scene were now worried.

The woman then stopped breathing. Tsunade checked her pulse. It was gone.

Tsunade slowly got up.

"She's dead," she said grimly.

The audience gasped. Partially because she was announced dead, partially because the dead woman had risen up and was now biting the man that called out for help.

_FUCK!!!_ Tsunade yelled in her head. The people started to run away. Tsunade herself fearfully ran back to her office.

"What's the matter?" Shizune asked when Tsunade ran in the office, panting.

"Woman...! Dead...! Bit..." she had so much to say, but it was all coming out too fast.

"Calm down!" Shizune exclaimed.

Tsunade took a few deep breaths.

"Look out the window..." she said.

Shizune did, and cupped her hands over her mouth, backing slowly away from the window.

"W-w-what's happening?" she fearfully asked.

Tsunade looked out the window. Things were bad now. She could see the woman approaching a cowering child. She was walking odd, like she was drunk. Some civilians she spotted were also shambling towards other civilians. There was blood on the streets.

"Zombies..." Tsunade mumbled.

"What?" Shizune asked.

"They're acting like zombies..." Tsunade said.

They turned away as they saw the woman bite into a child's neck.

"W-why?" Shizune asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Something's horribly wrong here... Nobody would rip and tear and eat people! Dead people don't come back to life and act like zombies! Something's wrong!" Tsunade said.

She fearfully glanced out the window. The civilians that observed the scene with the woman were all zombies now. Three ANBU squads were approaching them.

"Dear God! If they _are_ real zombies, the ANBU have no idea how to deal with them!" Tsunade realized.

She turned from the window and approached the door. An ANBU member suddenly appeared.

"Lady Hokage, things are bad. The cannibal woman somehow made the people she bit cannibals as well. They're all psychotic. They're not responding to anything we say. They're just slowly shambling towards us, moaning. The really strange thing is the eyes... Their eyes are like the Hyuga's Byakugan, but the whole eye is the color of the sclera and the pupil is not visible... I suggest you two go into the Emergency Room," he said.

"No! You don't understand!" Tsunade exclaimed, "They aren't human anymore!"

"Whatever they are, we'll deal with them..." the ANBU member confidently said, "Please go into the Emergency Room."

Tsunade clenched her teeth.

_Stubborn bastard,_ she thought, _All of them are stubborn bastards! They wouldn't listen to me no matter what I said!_

"Let's go in the room..." Shizune said quietly.

"Fine," Tsunade sighed in anger.

Tsunade reached under her desk and pushed a section of the desk. It moved up. She slid the tile over and pushed the button the wooden tile covered. A bookcase slid over to the right, revealing a heavily reinforced steel door. Tsunade and Shizune were used to this door. Everytime a threat, major or minor, occurred, they were pretty much forced to go in here. Tsunade opened the door. The door was very loud and creaky. They went inside. Shizune followed, and they shut the door, which made a boom as it shut. Tsunade picked up a torch near the door and went down a deep tunnel. It sloped downward deep into the ground. They saw lights in the distance, and soon they arrived in the room itself.

The room was fairly small, but it had lights and furniture and several things that were in a normal house. It actually felt like a normal home, besides the steel floor and walls and the deep, dark maw of the tunnel behind them. Tsunade placed the torch in a torch holder nearby. She sat down with Shizune on a couch.

"Do you think they're okay?" Shizune asked.

"I don't know," Tsunade said, "I honestly don't. We just have to wait for the sound of that steel door being opened."

* * *

The ANBU were in front of the Administration Building. The zombies approached them slowly, moaning for their blood and flesh. The ANBU had their weapons ready.

"Don't be fooled by the enemy," an ANBU captain said, "They look human, but they're not. Now wait for my signal before attacking."

The zombies inched closer and closer. There was little noise besides the moans and the heavy footsteps of the zombies.

One new ANBU member was too impatient. He charged forward and stabbed a man in the chest with his katana.

"Fool!" The ANBU captain shouted.

"Don't worry! I got him! C'mon!" the new ANBU member said, looking at the others behind them. They were taking a few steps back. Some even dropped their weapons.

"Huh?" the new ANBU member said. He then felt the man bite into his arm that still clutched the sword.

"AHHHH!!!" he yelled in pain. The man then forced him to the ground. He was digging deep into his arm. It hurt so badly! He could see the sword in the man's chest. The man didn't even react to it. No blood even fell from the wound.

_What... the hell..._ he thought. He saw a woman in a torn kimono and a small child approach him. They had the same eyes as the man, who now had moved to biting the ANBU member's chest.

_Why am I so hungry all of a sudden?_ the ANBU member thought as he slipped into death.

"What the fuck?!?" the ANBU captain yelled. The other ANBU had seen the sword and how it had no effect on the man. They stared in horror as the woman and the small child joined in on the feast. They suddenly got up and resumed approaching the ANBU.

"What? Why are they...?" one ANBU member said out loud.

They then saw the foolish ANBU member rise up. His mask was torn from his face, and most of his shirt was ripped up, revealing his bloody chest with several pieces of skin missing. He had the same eyes as these creatures. He then approached them.

"NOW!!! ATTACK THEM!!!" the ANBU captain ordered. The ANBU members charged forwards with their weapons. Their blades ripped and teared through flesh, and they horribly mutilated the zombies. But they didn't yell in pain. They didn't bleed. They didn't react. They continued moaning and trying to bite the ANBU. Some were bitten in the fight and had reanimated as zombies. Eventually, out of the fifteen ANBU members, three were left standing in front of the Administration Building's door. The rest were zombified. Twenty civilians with mutilated bodies, several newly animated civilians that were bitten during the chaos, and thirteen ANBU members approached them, moaning for flesh.

"DON'T LET THEM IN!!!" the captain yelled. They pulled out their blades and threateningly held them in front of themselves. They knew it was futile. As the zombies approached them, they backed up, getting closer to the door, until they felt their backs up against it. The zombies were now inches away. The other two ANBU members bravely fought and were eaten. The captain, however, turned around and threw open the door in a pathetic attempt to escape. He was grabbed by cold hands and pulled into a horde of teeth and hands. He tried to close the door so they wouldn't be able to get in, but the pain hurt him too much. All he could do was lie there being ripped apart by the zombies. He coughed up blood.

"J-Julia..." he said before he died.

* * *

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura were running down a main street in Konoha. It was the fastest way to the Administration Building. Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks, holding his hand up as if saying, "Hold on." Sakura and Naruto stopped.

"Why'd we-?" Naruto began, but Kakashi put his finger up to his mouth. Naruto stopped talking.

It was deadly silent. Nobody was around. No noise could be heard at all, save for some soulless moans in the distance. Kakashi lifted up his headband. His Sharingan instantly observed several things in the street, such as haphazardly shut curtains, a cup on the ground that had water coming from it, some blood marks on the ground, and a child's stuffed animal. People were recently here. Something happened. Due to the haphazardly shut curtains, he guessed the people fled and ran into their homes.

"I think everyone's hiding in their homes... I see some patches of blood. Zombies were here..." Kakashi said quietly, "Let's continue..."

They took a few steps when Kakashi suddenly threw a kunai on a rooftop to the left. The clang of metal was heard, and Naruto and Sakura looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a man wearing the Akatsuki robe on the rooftop. He was holding a large katana with a thick and long blade, and he was grinning. They could see the swords strapped to his back and the odd yellow glow of his eyes.

"That's him!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing to the man, "He's the one that knocked me out!"

"The _name_ is Kenokami," the man said. His voice was gruff and tough.

"Why'd you knock me out?" Naruto asked angrily.

"You can't warn the village. You _especially_ can't tell the Hokage. I'm afraid you have to die now," Kenokami said. He suddenly vanished from the rooftop. He reappeared behind Sakura.

"Watch out!" Kakashi warned. Too late. Kenokami had his blade at Sakura's throat.

"SAKURA!!!" Naruto called out, "I swear, if you kill her, I'll... I'll..."

"What?" Kenokami taunted Naruto, "What will you do? Stain my robe with your tears?"

Kenokami was grinning. Naruto and Kakashi could clearly see the wolf-like canines he had.

Kakashi did some hand seals and formed a Chidori. He suddenly charged at Kenokami. Kenokami's eyes widened and he quickly leapt to the left. Kakashi gasped and swerved to the left, barely missing Sakura. Sakura ran quite a few feet away. Naruto decided to back up, too.

Kakashi nailed Kenokami in the right shoulder with the Chidori. He dropped his sword as his arm holding it fell limp. Blood ran down the wound (and his arm) like a waterfall set in slow motion.

"Damn Sharingan users..." Kenokami spat.

Kakashi let the Chidori fade out, confident he had finished this Akatsuki member.

"Letting your guard down? A measly wound like this won't effect me!" Kenokami yelled. He reached down, picked up the blade, and thrust it into Kakashi's chest with just as much agility as if he wasn't wounded at all!

Kakashi grunted in pain. Kenokami withdrew the blade and leapt back, sheathing it.

"And why are _you_ letting _your_ guard down?" Kakashi responded. He vanished and reappeared behind Kenokami. He eyed a normal katana and unsheathed it. He stabbed Kenokami in the back and withdrew it quickly, dodging a counter slash from Kenokami.

"How _dare_ you take one of MY swords!!!" Kenokami fiercely roared. He dashed forward and did a vertical slash. Kakashi held up his sword horizontally and blocked it. They both tried forcing the other blade off of them.

Naruto clenched the fist on his working arm. He had completely forgotten about his other arm that he used the rasen shuriken with yet again. He could move it up and down and move some fingers, but that was about it. Anything else he tried resulted in immense pain. But he had to do something!

Naruto growled and ran towards Kenokami.

"Naruto! What are you doing?" Sakura asked fearfully.

Naruto leapt up in the air and slammed the heel of his foot on Kenokami's head. Kenokami's blade scraped against Kakashi's as he fell to the ground. There was blood coming out of his scalp. Naruto stood over him, grinning.

Kakashi's eyes widened.

"MOVE!!!" he yelled.

Naruto tried to react fast enough, but failed. A huge gash was cut right across his chest.

"Little bastard!" Kenokami fiercely yelled at Naruto. Kakashi took this moment to run up and deliver an equally powerful slash across Kenokami's chest. The robe had a huge cut on it, revealing Kenokami's muscley and fit chest. Kakashi nearly dropped his blade in shock. Instead, he took a few steps back.

Kenokami had a seal mark on his stomach that looked exactly like Naruto's. Kenokami stared at Kakashi with a mix of shock and anger, then at his stomach. He growled and ran forward with greater speed than before.

Sakura had ran up to Naruto. She was trying her best to heal the large wound across his chest.

Kakashi barely dodged the initial thrust from Kenokami's sword, and his sleeve was grazed by the second slash. Kakashi did a diagonal slash with his sword, and Kenokami blocked it. They tried to force the other blade off of them again.

"Why... Why are you doing this to the village?" Kakashi asked, "This isn't very Akatsuki-like."

"Fuck Akatsuki. I joined them because I thought they'd treat me like a human. How wrong I was. They just used me. I've officially left them. My partner has, too," Kenokami replied. He summoned up some strength and thrust his sword forward, making Kakashi stumble back and fall on his back.

Kakashi saw Kenokami above him. He was holding his sword, blade pointing down. Kakashi noticed that somehow the wound his Chidori caused had healed! The most shocking thing was the ring Kakashi spied on his left middle finger. It was the same ring Kakuzu once wore.

"What?!? You have Kakuzu's ring? How! His body was guarded by several ANBU members!" Kakashi exclaimed in surprise.

"Ha! ANBU!" Kenokami laughed, "They are so pathetic. I easily killed them all. I heard that our creations also killed three squads of them. The rest of the ANBU, like this village, will soon fall."

"Before you kill me, please tell me why you are doing this," Kakashi said, hoping Kenokami was forgetful enough to disregard Naruto and Sakura and just say the plan.

"Well..." Kenokami began.

"That's enough! Retreat!" they heard a woman order.

"WHAT!?!" Kenokami yelled, "I was just about to kill him!"

"And you were just about to tell our plan to those two behind you seemed to have forgotten about!" the woman responded. Kenokami clenched his teeth and his cheeks reddened. He obviously forgot.

Kakashi, Sakura, and a now-healed Naruto looked up on a roof. A person wearing an Akatsuki robe with a baggy hood covering her face was standing menacingly.

"FINE!" Kenokami spat at the woman. He then looked at Kakashi. "You're fucking lucky. Don't expect this to happen next time we meet. I'll be looking forward to it..." Kenokami picked up the sword that Kakashi took from him and sheathed it along with his other sword. He vanished and reappeared on the roof next to the cloaked woman. They then vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Are you okay, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"That man... Kenokami... he has a tailed beast sealed in him..." Kakashi said.

"WHAT!?!?!?!" Naruto and Sakura yelled in disbelief.

"When I cut his robe... his stomach could be seen. I saw the seal mark. He looked at me in shock and anger and tried to cover it up," Kakashi said.

Kakashi got up.

"Let's worry about it later," Kakashi said, "We need to reach Tsunade very quickly now."

Kakashi covered his Sharingan with his headband, and they resumed running to the Administration Building.

_That man... he was like Gaara... except he's much older..._ Naruto thought, _This is bad... perhaps he caused this to get revenge on the world?_

Naruto sighed in annoyance. All he could do was speculate. He knew none of the answers.

* * *

"Where are Kenokami and The Necromancer?" Itachi asked, "I haven't seen them around the base."

"Good question," Zetsu said, _"I think they're disobeying orders..."_ his other half said.

"They are," Deidara said, "The Leader told us not to leave after discovering Hidan and Kakuzu were killed until further orders were given, yeah."

_"I will investigate,"_ Zetsu said.

"No, let me," said the newest Akatsuki member. He walked in the room where everyone except the leader and Konan were in. He had long black hair and a sound village headband with a deep cut across it was tied around his eyes.

"They're in Konoha," he said.

"Excuse me, Otoshi, but, you're too new to go," Kisame said, "What makes you so sure they're in Konoha? Plus, you can't see. That won't help..."

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm blind..." Otoshi said, with a small frown that shortly flipped itself, "I went into Orochimaru's base and took his ring!" He said this proudly, holding up his right hand, little finger extended, to show them the ring. This resulted in mumbled laughter by the rude members of Akatsuki, "and it's just a hunch. I'll deal with them."

"But you were in the Sound Village already... I say you leave it someone else... like me," Itachi said.

Otoshi frowned. He untied his headband.

"What are you doing?" Tobi asked, trying not to laugh more.

Otoshi's headband fell to the ground with a clink. The other Akatsuki members stared at his face, More specifically, his eyes. His eyes enthralled them. Otoshi's eyes had a blood red sclera, black irises, and blazing red pupils. Their arms became limp, their faces became expressionless. Such was the power of the Ryuukugan.

"Now, you _will_ let me go, and _none_ of you will follow me!" Otoshi commanded, "And you will forget the whole pinky thing!" He picked up his headband and tied it around his eyes again. The other Akatsuki members regained their senses.

"Okay, you can go. We trust you. You better be damn sure you'll find them," Itachi said.

"Thank you... I am sure enough..." Otoshi said, trying to hold back laughter. He then left the base and headed towards Konoha...

* * *

"I can't believe you almost blurted out the plans," The Necromancer said. They were in their secret outpost in Konoha, "Moron."

Kenokami glared at The Necromancer.

"So... why did you never talk before this?" Kenokami asked, "And why exactly _are_ we doing this to Konoha? You never specified that."

The Necromancer didn't respond.

"Typical..." Kenokami spat.

"Look," The Necromancer said.

Kenokami looked at her. She slowly removed her hood. The face underneath was that of the most beautiful woman Kenokami had ever laid eyes on. Her hair was long and black and she had shining jade green eyes. He could see a headband wrapped around her neck. It had a symbol of a sun on it with a gash through it.

"Do you recognize this symbol?" she asked.

"No..." Kenokami said.

"Nobody does except The Leader," she said, "Well, he's not my leader anymore, but I had to tell him my past to join. This village was in a fairly small country that was an island. The Hidden Village in the Sun. I lived there. It was a fairly large town. Being on an island, several boats came by to trade."

Kenokami nodded, "Continue..."

"Yes," The Necromancer said, "I only had my older brother left. I was five at the time. He moved away and took me with him. My older brother was a bit of a... nut job, I guess you could put it like that. He was a legendary ninja in our village. He was only eighteen, but he had developed several new jutsu! He was a genius and he was amazing! Nobody could ever defeat him! He was just as strong as, probably stronger, than a Kage! Anyways, he taught me many of his jutsu, and I had begun to develop expert chakra control and manipulation. My brother said I was becoming just as powerful as him!"

"Your brother sounds like a real douchebag," Kenokami said. He was slapped across the face by The Necromancer.

"DON'T EVER INSULT HIM!" she yelled.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!" Kenokami exclaimed.

"...Anyways, one day, he told me to meet him at an abandoned house at midnight. I asked him why, but he said he'd explain. He told me to bring nobody. So I waited until midnight, and I went in the abandoned house. I saw my brother there. He said nothing, he just started walking. I followed him and he led me to the basement of the house. He opened the door, and entered. The basement was very dark. He turned on the light and I followed," The Necromancer continued, "Downstairs..."

The Necromancer looked sad all of a sudden, and some tears rolled down her eyes.

"Necromancer, what's the matter?" Kenokami asked.

"Please don't call me that anymore... I have a name. I trust you enough, Kenokami. My name is Reiko," The Necromancer said.

_Reiko... a lovely name,_ Kenokami thought.

"Reiko, please continue," Kenokami said.

"Okay," Reiko said. She wiped the tears from her eyes, "I saw some people restrained in there. Their hands and legs were chained to the wall. Their eyes were completely white, and they snapped at us, making this unholy moaning noise. I instantly recognized them as zombies, for my brother loved that genre of horror stories."

"'Aren't they beautiful, sister?' my brother said, 'I did it. I made zombies a reality. I think you are powerful enough to use this jutsu. Here, let me teach it to you.'"

"'No!' I shouted, 'How could you do this? These are innocent people! You turned them, _against their will_, into mindless monsters!'"

"My brother just stood there dumbfounded, 'Is there something wrong with that?' he asked me. I felt an uncontrollable rage build up inside me, 'Think of the possibilities of this jutsu. You and I, sister. We can rule the world with this jutsu. Starting with this pathetic village.' Something had gone terribly wrong with my brother. He used to be so kind, but now his face was fixated in an evil, maniacal grin."

"'No! I can't do that! It's wrong!' I said. I then used a jutsu he taught me. I slammed my hands on the floor and pillars of flame burst from the ground. My brother easily dodged it and countered with a jutsu that fired several bolts of lightning from his hand. I dodged them. He then did several hand seals that were in an order I had never seen before. A yellow gas emerged from the palm of his hand. I knew something was wrong with that gas. I ran out of there. 'Run! Run! RUN!' I kept telling myself. The gas had emerged from the abandoned house and was lofting over some houses. I stopped and looked at the houses. Soon people in their nightwear emerged from their doors they knocked down. They slowly approached me slowly. They were zombies..."

Kenokami was listening intently. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly open.

"I continued running," Reiko said, "I don't know how long I ran, but I eventually collapsed from exhaustion. I saw feet in front of me. I looked up and saw my brother, grinning insanely."

"_'How does it feel?'_ he asked. Something was wrong with his voice. It sounded... demonic. _'To have your entire village destroyed by one man? I will let you live. Live. Understand? Live and become stronger. Let your hate manifest inside of you. Hate me. I will be looking forward to our next encounter, sister...'_ I then fell unconscious. When I awoke, I was in the middle of my town. I heard thousands of moans. I got up and looked around, horrified. Every person in my village had become zombies! I... I didn't know what to do. My brother probably made the zombies not attack me. I... I probably went crazy, because I don't remember much after that. I remember meeting with the Akatsuki Leader. I don't know how I found him, I honestly don't. That's when I joined Akatsuki. It was my only option left," Reiko finished. She wiped a lone tear from her eye.

Kenokami's mouth moved, but no sound came from it.

"Damn..." he managed to say. He then realized a fault in the story, "Wait... you said you had never seen your brother's jutsu that made zombies before, but you can use it now? How?"

"Did you look at my eyes? I've changed them," Reiko said.

Kenokami looked at her eyes and gasped. He took a step back in disbelief.

"My name is Reiko Uchiha," Reiko said, "My brother, Madara Uchiha, kidnapped me from my family in Konoha, which are all dead now, as I'm sure you know..."

Kenokami couldn't believe it, _She has the Sharingan? No way!_ he thought.

There was silence for a moment.

"Madara... he... he was feared by... by... _him..._" Kenokami said, saying 'him' with extreme detest.

More silence.

"Wait, you hated your brother for using the jutsu, but you use it now? Why?" Kenokami asked.

"Two reasons," Reiko said, her Sharingan penetrating Kenokami's being, "One: Vengeance. My childhood and future was destroyed by Madara. Several people here have had a good life. Friends, family, happiness; things _I_ have _never_ had! I want _them_ to suffer through what _I_ have suffered through! You want vengeance too, _right?_ You've had a similar experience, _right?_"

Kenokami stared at the seal on his stomach.

"Yes," he said, "I want vengeance."

"Good," Reiko said, "Two: Maybe by using his jutsu on a major town, I will attract Madara's attention. He will come here, and I will kill him. With him out of the way, Akatsuki will remain. They will try to eliminate us for betraying them. Then we will command our huge zombie army and take over the entire world! Anyone left alive will _suffer_ for their happiness!!! Will you join me, or will I have to kill you?"

Kenokami stared at Reiko in disbelief. She was dead serious. He had never expected the silent cloaked person he was partnered with was capable of this. Still, he agreed with her plan.

"I will help," Kenokami said, "I want them to feel my pain!"

"Okay... we wait. Those three you fought are not threats just yet. They'll probably die, anyway. Only a small portion of the town has been zombified. We can't be seen until a majority of Konoha is zombified," Reiko said, "Understand?"

"Yes," Kenokami said. All of a sudden he gasped.

"What?" Reiko asked.

"Otoshi. He's coming. I smell his scent. It's very faint, but it's gradually becoming stronger each second. He is about two days from here," Kenokami said, "Oddly enough, I only smell him. No other Akatsuki members."

"So? We'll kill him. He's just blind, anyway. Akatsuki has to be stupid for sending him to kill us," Reiko said.

* * *

Otoshi was slowly walking towards Konoha. A sense of disappointment fell over him.

"Why do I get the feeling someone just underestimated me because I'm blind?" he asked himself.


	5. Chapter 5: First Death

The Necromancer, Chapter 5:

"Shit..." Kakashi muttered as they stopped in front of the Administration Building. Several zombies blocked their way into the building. They were aimlessly wandering about, but when Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura neared, they all immediately looked at them, let out their ghastly moans, and slowly shambled towards them.

Naruto clenched his teeth. He saw nearly sixty innocent people turned into bloodthirsty savages. He even spied small children turned into zombies. _They'll pay for this..._ he thought angrily.

"Oh no! The zombies got ANBU!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing at the crowd of zombies. Indeed, there were a few zombie members of ANBU approaching them, "What do we do?"

"The answer is both simple and complicated at the same time," Kakashi said, "We put them out of their misery."

"What!?!" Sakura exclaimed.

"We have to kill them all," Kakashi said, "It's for the best. If you recognize anybody, it's not them anymore."

Naruto made twenty shadow clones and he charged forward at the zombie horde. The shadow clones had kunai in their hands, and they knocked down any zombie they came across, got over them, and stabbed their head repeatedly until they stopped moving. Naruto made the shadow clones vanish and he tackled a small boy to the ground. Blood stained his face and hair. Naruto had his hand on the boy's neck. The other hand held a kunai, ready to stab. He saw the child's empty white eyes as he struggled to bite Naruto. He couldn't do it. He couldn't kill the boy.

"NARUTO! BEHIND YOU!" Sakura yelled. Naruto looked behind him and saw a bloody mutilated man behind him. He then saw Sakura slug the man in the right cheek with her fist. Her chakra control around her fist dented the man's skull and crushed his brain. Sakura stared at her fist. Blood covered it. She shook off the thought of killing an innocent man. He wasn't even human anymore. She also shook the thought of blood on her hand. If she paid attention to the blood, it would get to her.

"You have to kill him!" Sakura exclaimed. Naruto sadly nodded and stabbed the boy's head several times. Blood splattered on his hands. Naruto ignored the blood. They both went and attacked more zombies.

Kakashi had formed a Chidori and was tearing through several zombies. Blood splattered all over him as he blew holes in their chests, stomachs, or heads with the Chidori. The Chidori faded, and Kakashi saw the blood covering him. He winced, and turned around to see how many zombies were left.

Some headless bodies were on the ground, blood and brain matter scattered around where a head should've been. The zombies whose heads he missed still approached him or Naruto and Sakura. Some had large holes in their chests. Some had large holes in their stomach area, intestines dangling out. He just realized most of them had blade marks covering their skin; work of the ANBU. The blood and gore was too much for Kakashi. He quickly pulled down his mask and threw up on the ground beneath him.

Naruto formed more shadow clones that tackled more zombies to the ground and killed them. Sakura used her chakra control to destroy the skulls of a few more zombies. Only a few were left. They saw Kakashi in the distance. His mask was down. He was breathing heavily and he was hunched over the ground. A small puddle of vomit was beneath his mouth. He got up and ran towards them.

"Please, kill the rest," Kakashi said quietly. The face beneath the mask was very handsome, "The blood and gore is too much..."

Naruto and Sakura nodded. They ran forward and killed the few zombies that were left.

"C'mon, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called.

Kakashi nodded and ran to them. He pulled up his mask as he ran to them. They were in front of the door now. Is was wide open, and they could see blood against the walls of the entrance hallway.

"This can't be good..." Sakura spoke grimly.

"Still, we have to find Tsunade and Shizune!" Naruto exclaimed.

"What if... they aren't alive anymore? What if they are now zombies, and the only thing waiting for us in Tsunade's office is two zombies?" Kakashi said.

"Don't think that way!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Right. Sorry..." Kakashi apologized.

They heard a moan and saw an ANBU man near them. His stomach was torn open, nothing inside. He was missing his legs and an arm, using the remaining limb to drag himself over to them. Naruto leapt into the air and stomped on the man's head. The resulting effect was equivalent to stomping a watermelon. Kakashi and Sakura turned away before Naruto crushed the man's skull. Blood covered Naruto's suit. We wiped his shoes on the wall.

'Too much blood..." Naruto complained quietly, seemingly to himself.

The building and the city outside was deathly silent. Naruto could hear the slow breathing of Sakura and Kakashi and he could swear he heard their heartbeats.

"What are we standing around for?" Sakura asked.

"Sorry... the silence is just creeping me out..." Kakashi said, "Let's go."

They went down the hallway into the main lobby. Five zombies noticed them and slowly approached them, but they were ignored. Team 7 took a left and ran down a hallway. At the end there was a staircase. They ran up the stairs and down another hallway. Eventually, they reached a large double door. They opened it and went inside. The door closed behind them.

Tsunade's office was empty. The objects in the room seemed to be in their normal positions and there was no blood, so that relieved them.

"Do you think they left?" Naruto asked.

"Only one way to find out," Kakashi said. He then called out, "TSUNADE!!! SHIZUNE!!! ARE YOU IN HERE??? THIS IS KAKASHI!!! ANSWER ME!!!"

Deep below ground, Tsunade and Shizune were in the Emergency Room. Shizune was reading a book and Tsunade was playing chess by herself. Kakashi's call was heard faintly beneath the ground.

"Kakashi!" Tsunade exclaimed, "HOLD ON!!! WE"LL BE THERE!!!" she answered back.

Above the ground, Team 7 faintly heard Tsunade's reply.

"Good! She's safe!" Sakura exclaimed.

A few minutes passed of the eerie silence. Soon they heard a loud creaking noise. They turned in its direction. They just saw a bookcase, but the noise was definitely coming from behind it. The bookcase then slowly slid to the right, revealing a tunnel entrance. Tsunade and Shizune were standing there, completely unharmed.

"What happened?" Shizune asked, shocked. She saw the bloodied clothes of Team 7. Tsunade stood there frozen for a few seconds. She then shook off her fear.

"D...did you encounter the cannibals?" Tsunade asked.

"You mean zombies..." Kakashi said. Tsunade and Shizune gave him a strange look, "We don't know why, but two seemingly rogue members of Akatsuki used a jutsu that turns people into zombies," Kakashi explained, "The people effected by the jutsu have all of the traits of a zombie."

"Hold on. Rogue Akatsuki? What?" Tsunade asked, confused. This was all happening too fast.

"Okay... apparently Naruto was attacked by a zombie at 2 A.M. He killed it and fled the building to warn Sakura. He said an Akatsuki member knocked him unconscious. When he awoke, it was dawn. He alerted Sakura. They then found and alerted me. I was attacked before they came, but I killed them. We then went to warn you and the rest of the village. Nobody was around. Then the same Akatsuki member that attacked Naruto attacked us. His name was Kenokami. He said he and his partner weren't with Akatsuki anymore. During our fight, his robe was sliced at the stomach. I saw a tailed beast seal mark on his stomach. He also had Kakuzu's ring. I don't know how, but he is very dangerous. He was ordered to retreat by his partner, a mysterious cloaked woman. We continued to the Administration Building, but several zombies were blocking our way. Some of them were ANBU. We had to kill them all. We went inside. Some zombies were there, but we ignored them and went straight for your office," Kakashi explained.

It took a moment for the information to sink in.

"I can't believe this is happening..." Tsunade said, "It's like a dream, but it isn't... If the ANBU can't destroy these 'zombies,' then who can?"

"Ahem," Naruto said, "We took out about forty or sixty just a few minutes ago!"

Tsunade glared at him, "Forty to sixty. Just forty to sixty. I heard a man say he needed medical attention. I went outside. A woman was heavily bleeding in his arms. I healed the wound, and I discovered a bit mark on her arm. She turned into a... 'zombie' afterwards," Tsunade said, getting used to the word, "She directly and indirectly turned all of those forty or sixty into zombies! That was just one zombie! There are probably others in the town! You've probably not even dented their population!"

"Sorry..." Naruto apologized.

"We should contact the Sand Village! They might be able to help!" Shizune suggested.

"Good idea," Tsunade said, "But how?"

"I'll write a letter and deliver it to Sunagakure," Kakashi said. He took a piece of paper and began writing on it with a pencil, "Tsunade, I'll need your confirmation of what happens in written form."

"Okay," Tsunade said. She then turned to Naruto and Sakura, "This will be a dangerous mission. Kakashi will not be accompanying you. Your mission will be to search the village for survivors."

"WHAT!?!" Naruto outbursted, "Just me and Sakura?"

"No, no," Tsunade grinned, "We will accompany you- Shizune and I."

"Please write down your proof," Kakashi said, handing the paper and pencil to Tsunade. Tsunade began writing something.

"Why don't you just say what happened instead of writing a letter?" Shizune asked.

"I don't feel like explaining it to everyone," Kakashi yawned.

"Here you go," Tsunade said. She handed the letter back to Kakashi. Kakashi skimmed over the letter and nodded.

"I'll be going. Wish me luck," he said.

The four waved goodbye to Kakashi, also wishing him luck.

"Godspeed to you," Tsunade said.

"Good luck on your mission, too," Kakashi said. He opened the door, still looking at the four. He saw their shocked expressions when the door was opened.

"KAKASHI!!! LOOK OUT!!!" Tsunade screamed, pointing behind him. Kakashi whirled around and gasped.

In the doorway was Anko Mitarashi. She was a zombie now. Her once cheerful expression on her face was replaced by a blank one. Her now white eyes stared at Kakashi's eyes, penetrating his soul. Her mouth hung open slightly. The most eerie part was that she had no blood on her. She looked perfectly normal besides the eyes.

She then let out a snarl and bit Kakashi on the left side of his neck, ripping off a rather large part of it. Blood flowed down his neck as he tried to shove Anko off, but she just continued eating, her grip too tight.

It all happened too fast. Just two seconds. That was not enough time to react. Naruto growled and ran ahead. Sakura, Shizune, and Tsunade were still too shocked to move.

"DAMN YOOOOUUUU!!!" Naruto shrieked, tears flowing down his eyes. Something majorly bad had to happen for Naruto to swear. He kicked zombie Anko in the head, knocking her off of Kakashi. Kakashi ran to where Tsunade was, clutching his heavily bleeding wound. He slumped against a wall. Tsunade froze up again seeing Kakashi's wound.

"Kakashi-sensei!!!" Sakura gasped.

The zombified Anko lunged for Naruto, who punched her in the face. She stumbled back some, let out a moan, and lunged for Naruto again, this time grabbing his shoulders. Anko had enough strength to force Naruto to the ground, but Naruto prevented her from biting him by holding on to her neck, trying to push her off. The other hand was on her right shoulder. Anko's bloody mouth slowly inched towards his face. He was losing strength! He had to focus on just preventing her from biting him. There was no way he could shove her off. Her mouth was a few inches from his face, her mouth snapping at him. He could feel her hot breath on his face. It smelled of a mixture of dumplings and blood.

"Tsunade!" Shizune said, shaking Tsunade, "Snap out of it! People need help!"

Sakura was futilely trying to heal Kakashi's wound. The large bloody hole in his neck was slowly closing.

"Please... stop!" Kakashi weakly said, "I'm... going to turn into one of them soon... you have to kill me... while I'm still human..."

Sakura and Shizune gasped and stopped what they were doing. Naruto heard those words. His muscles weakened even more and Anko was just centimeters from his face now.

_No!!! Kakashi can't die... and it's the rogue Akatsuki's fault! They made Anko a zombie and now Kakashi will..._ Naruto thought. Anko opened her mouth and let out a moan as she approached to bite Naruto's face.

"DAMNIT!!!!" Naruto yelled. He suddenly found a new burst of strength. He pushed Anko off of him and grabbed a nearby broom. He smashed the broom's handle onto Anko's head over and over again. With each smack on her head, Naruto yelled out, "DAMNIT!!!" He kept smashing Anko's head until nothing but a bloody pulp remained. He panted heavily and dropped the broom. He turned to Kakashi. Sakura and Shizune were too shocked at Naruto's outburst to say anything, and Tsunade was still locked up in fear. Kakashi looked at Naruto. Not with the eyes of a wise and powerful sensei, but the eyes of a weak and dying man.

"Naruto... you are the only one who has the guts to kill me..." Kakashi said, "Please... while I'm still human. You have to kill me while I'm human!"

"I can't Kakashi-sensei! I can't!" Naruto cried. Tears flowed down his eyes.

"Can't means won't. Do you want me to become a zombie and possibly add more to the population? No. You have to kill me now..." Kakashi said. His breathing was heavier and his skin was pale.

"No! We can't, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura butted in.

"'Those who don't care for their companions are worse than trash,'" Kakashi recited, "Please... it's for the best. Kill me. I can finally be reunited with Obito and Rin..."

Naruto gulped. He pulled out a kunai. His arm was shaky.

"Thank you... good... bye..." Kakashi said very faintly. His head fell limp.

"K-Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked fearfully.

"Kakashi?" Shizune asked.

They couldn't believe what was happening. It all seemed like a horrible nightmare, but it wasn't. They wanted it to be a dream, but it was real.

All of a sudden Kakashi let out a roar as he lunged forward and grabbed Naruto, knocking him on the ground. Naruto saw that Kakashi had pure white eyes. His mask was still on, so his bites wouldn't hurt as much.

"NOOOO!!!!" Sakura sobbed. She picked up the kunai Naruto dropped and thrust it downwards into Kakashi's skull. His body became lifeless. Naruto got out from under Kakashi's corpse. Tears were rolling down both Sakura and Naruto's eyes.

"No... NO!!! I"LL FUCKING KILL KENOKAMI AND THAT LADY!!! I'LL FUCKING KILL THEM FOR THIS!!!" Naruto screamed.

Tsunade regained her senses. She immediately knew everything went wrong. She saw Anko's corpse and ignored that, but she saw Kakashi lying face down with a kunai in his head.

"No!" Shizune sobbed.

_This is the true power of the zombie jutsu!_ Tsunade thought, _It turns your own people against you, and more of them keep coming... it's the perfect mix of physical and psychological warfare..._

"We have to go," Tsunade said quietly.

"What!?!" Sakura asked, crying, "But... Kakashi..."

"We have to go!" Tsunade said loudly and fiercely, tears rolling down her cheeks, "We won't accomplish anything by standing around mourning someone's death! Kakashi wouldn't want us to do this! We have to take the letter and find a survivor who knows where Sunagakure is! It's for Konoha! We have to go!"

Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes, "Right," he said.

Tsunade, Shizune, Naruto, and Sakura left the room after saying their final goodbyes to Kakashi and Anko. They closed the door behind them.

* * *

"What the hell are these things?" Sai asked, "One of my ink beasts tore them up, but they're still alive!"

"If I knew, I would tell you," Yamato replied. He formed a hand seal and large roots came out of the ground. The roots tangled up several zombies near them and crushed them, but they still lived.

"We need to find Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. They probably know what's going on," Yamato said.

"Okay," Sai nodded. They both ran from the zombies.

* * *

Kiba was in his room. The door was locked. It was being smacked very hardly, as if someone or something was trying to force it open. Akamaru was whimpering and growling at the door at the same time.

"No, Akamaru, I don't know why Sis and Mom are acting crazy," Kiba said.

Hana and Tsume were on the other end of the door. They were zombified, of course, and they were moaning loudly, trying to knock the door off its hinges and get their prey. The door was about to give.

Akamaru whimpered at Kiba.

"...Yeah, I thought that, too. They aren't human anymore. Something happened to them..." Kiba said sadly. He tried to hold back tears, but they rolled down his cheeks. _Stop crying, you pussy,_ he thought. He wiped the tears from his eyes.

Akamaru barked.

"Okay, let's leave," Kiba said. He hopped on Akamaru's back. Akamaru jumped out a nearby window. He barked.

"Where to? I don't really know. Hmm... Kurenai's. Let's go to Kurenai's. Sensei will know what to do," Kiba said.

Akamaru barked and ran to Kurenai's house with Kiba on his back.

_What the hell happened to Sis and Mom?_ he thought, _They... they ate someone. What the fuck happened?_

* * *

_Naruto, why don't you share the same feelings for me as I do for you?_ Hinata thought. She was relaxing on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Neji, Hanabi, and Hiashi were downstairs eating breakfeast. Hinata wasn't hungry. Well, that's what she said, but she wanted to think about Naruto.

She let out a depressed sigh and slowly got off of her bed. No use in doing nothing about it. Hinata decided she would try to talk to Naruto today.

Her hand almost touched the doorknob on her door when a loud THUD! was heard. She jumped back.

"What was that?" she said out loud. She threw open the door and ran downstairs. Everything seemed normal.

THUD!

"Who the hell is knocking at the door?" Neji asked, "Uncle, please answer it."

Hiashi got up. He went to the sliding door that was the entrance to this building.

THUD!

Hiashi slid open the door. A Hyuga man was at the door, but his eyes seemed... different. They seemed empty. He bit into Hiashi's hand.

"AHHHH!!!" Hiashi screamed. He shoved the man off of him, but the man took off two of his fingers.

"Fuck," he swore quietly. He activated his Byakugan. Neji did, too.

"Sister, I'm scared," Hanabi said. She clung to Hinata and buried her face into her clothes. Hinata backed away, shielding Hanabi.

_What's happening?_ Hinata fearfully thought.

Hiashi and Neji gasped and stood speechless for a moment. The man slowly lurched towards them.

"H-h-he's... dead..." Neji said, "He has no chakra!"

Hinata gasped. She backed away some more.

Hiashi slammed his palm into the man's chest. He merely flinched from the blow. The man then bit into Hiashi's neck. Hiashi screamed in pain.

"Shit!" Neji swore. He backed away slowly, unable to react.

The man soon stopped eating Hiashi, who fell to the ground. The man's mouth was covered in blood, a bit of flesh fell from his mouth. He groaned and approached them.

"No!" Hinata cried, turning away.

"We have to leave! This is the work of some sinister jutsu!" Neji urged. Hinata and Hanabi headed out the back door, and Neji followed them.

As soon as they were outside, they gasped.

Several other Hyugas with the same soulless eyes were approaching them, moaning.

Neji went into his fighting stance.

"Stay behind me and stay away from them," Neji commanded. Hinata and Hanabi nodded, getting behind Neji.

* * *

Shino and his dad, Shibi, were in the basement of their house. A strange-eyed cannibalistic woman had tried to eat them, but they restrained her, bound her arms and legs, and gagged her.

One of Shibi's beetles returned to him.

"She has no chakra. She's dead," Shibi said.

"Interesting," Shino said.

The woman was below them. She had long black hair and was wearing a purple kimono. Her eyes were completely white. She kept wriggling around making muffled noises, also trying to bite them despite that she was gagged.

"So if she's dead..." Shibi said. He took out a kunai and made a deep cut on the woman's arm. She made no screams of pain. The cut didn't produce any blood.

"She feels no pain," Shibi said, "She has no blood, either."

"She's exactly like a zombie..." Shino murmured, "What if there are more in the town? I better go check."

"Okay, son, I'll stay here and perform more experiments," Shibi said.

Shino left.

* * *

Choji stared in horror at the people approaching him. They were covered in blood and they had white soulless eyes. His father had become one of them. The eight of them approached him, letting out unholy moans.

_What... the... fuck?_ Choji thought, _C'mon, legs, move! I need to run! Something bad's happening!_

His legs didn't obey him. He was paralyzed with fear. The eight zombies were close now, and one had bit into Choji's arm. The others soon joined on the feast.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Choji screamed in pain and terror as the zombies ripped open his stomach and tore out his intestines, eating them.

He died soon afterwards. A bit after that, he arose as a zombie. He moaned and shuffled off somewhere else.

* * *

Ino was at the desk in the Yamanaka flower shop, awaiting customers. She heard the bells rings as someone entered the store, moving the flaps that moved the bells.

"How may I help you?" Ino cheerfully asked.

She then noticed her "customer."

"EEEEEEEEEEEK!!!" she shrieked.

It was a bald man. His skin and clothes were bloodstained and his mouth was slightly open. His yellow teeth could be seen. He slowly shambled towards Ino.

"DAD!" Ino screamed.

Inoichi ran down the stairs.

"What?" he asked. He then saw the man, "SHIT!"

Inoichi ran up to the man.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

The man groaned and bit the area inbetween Inoichi's neck and shoulder. Inoichi screamed out in pain.

"Dad!" Ino called out, "Get off of him you fucker!"

Ino ran up and punched the man in the face. The force of the punch knocked him away from Inoichi, put a piece of flesh was ripped off due to the strong bite. Inoichi fell to the floor.

Inoichi groaned with pain, clutching his wound.

"It hurts, it hurts..." he groaned.

"Dad, are you okay?" Ino asked.

"Of course not... this wound is fatal... I love you, dearest daughter... goodbye..." Inoichi unexpectedly said. He then fell limp.

Ino stood there dumbly for a moment. It took a few seconds to register what happened.

"NOOOOOO!!!" she sobbed.

The man that bit her father got up. He moaned again and approached Ino.

"You'll pay!" she shrieked. She grabbed a nearby pole and smacked the man across the face with it. She thrust the pole forward and knocked him down. She then smacked his head over and over and over until she heard a satisfying crack. The man didn't move. She dropped the pole and turned towards her dad.

He was up again! He was alive.

"Dad!" Ino exclaimed. She ran up to hug him.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" she said. She stopped a few feet away from him.

"N-NOOOO!!!" she yelled.

Her father had become the same as the man. His eyes and style of walking had become the same. He lurched forward and grabbed Ino. He placed his mouth around her neck. She felt his saliva cover it, but she quickly shoved him off and ran upstairs. As she ran, she felt the weirdest feeling in her neck where her father's mouth had been. It felt like his saliva was entering her neck.

She ran into her room and closed the door. She went into a fetal position and began crying and sobbing uncontrollably, not fully understanding what was going on.

Her vision suddenly blurred, and not because of the tears. Her body felt weak. She then fell into a deep sleep. A sleep that she would never wake up from again. Ino would not awaken, but a terrible beast in Ino's body would.

Ino opened her eyes. The eyes were now white. She moaned, got up, and saw the closed door. It was an obstacle, preventing her from reaching potential prey. She slammed on the door over and over again.

* * *

Otoshi was walking in a forested area. All of a sudden, three bandits leapt from the trees.

"Now, give us your money, or you'll die," a bandit said.

"Look! He's blind! Ha! This will be easy!" another bandit exclaimed.

Otoshi growled.

"You people who think I'm helpless and pathetic just because I'm blind _REALLY_ piss me off!" Otoshi roared. He unsheathed a katana he had at his right hip. Another katana remained sheathed at his left hip. He heard the bandits pull out knives and run towards him.

He heard footsteps louder than the others to the west. He slashed at the noise and heard a cry of death. He grinned and turned to the other footsteps. He slashed at them, killing them, too. He sheathed his bloody katana and continued heading towards Konoha, leaving the three bodies of the bandits behind him.


	6. Chapter 6: Splitting Up

The Necromancer, Chapter 6:

_It's all my fault,_ Naruto thought, _If I had reacted faster, then Kakashi wouldn't be... dead..._

_It isn't your fault,_ he thought again, _you couldn't react fast enough!_

Naruto's conflicting feelings made him wonder if he could continue. He then heard a deep, malicious voice in his head. The Kyuubi's voice.

_**It's their fault for doing nothing...**_ it said, _**the others stood there and did nothing while Kakashi was bitten. It's all their fault... their fault.**_

"Shut up!" Naruto growled at the Kyuubi. He unknowingly said it out loud.

"What?" Tsunade asked.

"N-nothing," Naruto said quickly.

The group went down the stairs and eventually reached the lobby. The five zombies Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi saw and ignored earlier were there waiting for them. Shizune threw kunai at all five of them, each imbedding itself in a zombie's skull. The five zombies fell, lifeless.

Naruto didn't see. He was too focused on Kakashi's death. Sakura was probably in the same condition. Naruto remembered all of the good times he had with Kakashi. He felt tears roll down his face. He hated those memories now. They brought only sadness and pain. He wanted to forget them, but they just kept resurfacing in his memory. The memory he hated the most was Kakashi attacking him as a zombie.

Naruto heard a door slam, and he looked around. They were outside of the Administration Building now. Naruto was so focused on Kakashi's death, his legs walked for him while his mind wandered off. He was now focused on what was currently happening.

"We need to split up," Tsunade said.

"What?" Naruto asked, "Split up? But what if... if... we become... zombified?"

"Don't think of that!" Sakura cried out.

"We need to cover more ground to find more survivors! Sakura will come with me, and we will cover the right side of town. Shizune, you and Naruto will cover the left half. We meet back here at sundown," Tsunade said, "No objections."

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it.

"Fine with me," he said instead. It wasn't fine with him, but arguing would get them nowhere.

"Okay. See you later, Naruto. Goodbye, Shizune!" Sakura said.

"Please come back alive," Tsunade said.

"The same with you two," Shizune said.

"Goodbye, Sakura!" Naruto said. He went over to Sakura and hugged her. She hugged back. They stood their for a few seconds, and released each other.

The two groups diverged and went their own ways.

Kenokami and Reiko, on the roof of the Administration Building, observed this happening.

"They're officially threats now. They're trying to contact another village. This 'event' has to remain in this village only," Reiko said. She had her hood over her face now.

"I know. I heard them," Kenokami said.

"How? I had to use a jutsu to hear them through the roof. I didn't see you use a jutsu," Reiko asked.

Kenokami said nothing, and sadly stared at his stomach.

"Oh. The five-tails," Reiko said. Kenokami nodded.

"Well," Reiko said, changing the topic, "Will you take the Hokage and the girl, or the Hokage's assistant and the nine-tails carrier?"

"The kid with the Kyuubi in him," Kenokami said, suddenly showing interest. Reiko noticed the fire of battle light up in Kenokami's yellow bestial eyes.

"Very well. Meet up at our Observatory afterward," Reiko said.

"Will do," Kenokami said.

They both parted.

* * *

The street Shizune and Naruto were heading down was void of any life. The wind blew quietly, but the silence amplified each noise tenfold. The peaceful breeze sounded like a dreadful storm.

_Where is everybody?_ Shizune anxiously thought.

"I see something in the distance..." Naruto whispered, pointing ahead of them.

Two figures. One was taller than the other.

"Zombies?" Shizune asked.

"I don't know," Naruto replied.

They then heard the sound of eating. They were near a corner, so they peered around it. Four zombies were eating an unrecognizable bloody corpse.

Shizune pulled up her sleeve and fired four kunai at their heads with her needle launcher. Each hit their spot. She fired one in the half-eaten corpse's head just in case.

They turned around and saw Sai and Yamato standing right in front of them. Naruto leapt back in fright and Shizune screamed a little bit.

"Jeez! You scared us! Don't sneak up on us like that!" Naruto said.

"You got scared by that? You're not man enough to have a penis," Sai said.

Naruto growled at Sai.

"Stop it, you two," Yamato said, "What happened? Where's Kakashi?" he asked Shizune.

Shizune sighed sadly. She told her story. She told of Kakashi's death and finished.

Naruto saw Sai's head lower. He thought he saw tears form in Sai's eyes, but he raised his head and the same emotionless look was on his face.

"So he's dead..." Yamato said quietly, clenching a fist, "These rogue Akatsuki members are definitely going to pay for this! They're still in this village somewhere, right?"

"Yes, we are," Naruto heard the voice of Kenokami say.

The four looked around.

"Reveal yourself!" Yamato demanded.

"Very well!" Kenokami said as he leapt down from a nearby rooftop. He had that cocky grin on his face.

Naruto saw that face, and thought of Kakashi and Anko. This man indirectly caused their deaths. He growled.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!!! YOU KILLED KAKASHI AND ANKO!!!!!" he roared at Kenokami. Red chakra surrounded him, billowing like flames. It then formed into a foxlike shape around him.

_He achieved the first tail just by seeing me? Daaaaaaamn,_ Kenokami thought.

"So? I don't know who they are. They most likely had good lives, unlike me," Kenokami said.

Naruto just stood there staring at Kenokami. This man pissed him off more than Neji. More than Sasuke. More than everyone who pissed him off combined.

He roared again and the red chakra formed another tail. His eyes turned beastlike and he formed fangs visible when his mouth was closed. The marks on his cheeks were black and thick now.

"Get back!" Yamato warned. Sai and Shizune complied.

"This will be interesting..." Kenokami said. He unsheathed a large and thick blade that resembled a katana, but the size and thickness of Zabuza's sword. He held it with both hands.

Naruto charged at Kenokami, running on all fours. He tried to punch Kenokami, but he blocked Naruto's fist with the side his massive sword. Naruto dented the blade.

_H-he dented it?_ Kenokami thought, _No way! My swords are made of the strongest and hardest metal in the world!_

Kenokami grunted and pushed his blade forward, throwing Naruto back. Naruto just sprinted back up to Kenokami, delivering a hook to his face. Kenokami fell to the ground due to the force of the punch. Naruto got on top of him, ready to punch him again. Before he could do so, Kenokami made some hand seals and thrust his palm on Naruto's chest. He roared in pain as the red chakra vanished and he turned into his normal form. Kenokami got up and grinned in victory. He then noticed the other three ninja who previously retreated running towards him. He then frowned. He forgot of their existence. He unsheathed his large sword that Naruto dented and readied himself. Naruto then rose up and uppercutted him in the chin. He flew up and landed on the ground with a thud.

_Damnit! I have to stop forgetting people!_ Kenokami thought, mentally beating himself up.

He quickly got up and slammed the flat of the blade onto Naruto, who flew into a nearby wall of a house. Naruto slumped over. Kenokami smelled blood.

_He's out of commission..._ he thought, grinning.

He saw one of the approaching ninja finish some hand seals, and large roots burst out of the ground. Kenokami cut them all with his blade.

"You're going to have to try better than that!" he mocked.

Shizune all of a sudden appeared in front of Kenokami, whom was caught by surprise. Shizune quickly reached into her robe and pulled out a scalpel and thrust it into Kenokami's throat. She then twisted it and made a slice to the right, effectively ripping open his throat. She withdrew the surgical tool and leapt back near Sai.

Kenokami cried in pain and coughed up blood. He fell to the ground. The wound wouldn't effect him at all with the regenitave abilities of the five-tailed wolf, but he decided to feign death so they would let their guard down.

He heard the quick woman run over to that nine-tails punk and then the familiar sound of a healing jutsu.

"What do we do with him?" Sai asked.

"We make sure he's dead," Yamato said. He approached Kenokami.

Kenokami, face down, grinned with excitement. He clutched his blade. He heard the man's footsteps stop. He saw his hand tighten around the blade's handle! Kenokami clenched his teeth tightly. He then heard the man resume walking. He probably assumed it was his "corpse" twitching. Kenokami held in the sigh of relief until it vanished.

The man was close. Now was the time to strike! Kenokami quickly got up. The man had a shocked look on his face; the infamous "Oh, shit! I'm going to die!" look. Kenokami loved that look. The blade of his sword was pointed at the man. He moved the blade back, and then shoved it into the man's chest with excessive force.

Yamato cried out in pain.

"NO!!!" Naruto and Shizune cried out simultaneously. Naruto growled and formed a Rasengan. He ran forward and slammed the orb of chakra into Kenokami's right shoulder. His right arm fell limp. Blood flowed down his arm.

_DAMN!_ Kenokami thought, _My arm's useless! I have to retreat now!_

With difficulty, Kenokami sheathed his large sword. He then kicked Naruto away and leapt on a rooftop. He then ran off, leaping from roof to roof.

Naruto began to chase him.

"Stop!" Sai commanded, "Nevermind how he lived! We have to lend Shizune chakra so she can heal Yamato!"

Naruto sighed and went to where Shizune was.

It looked bad. Yamato was on the ground. Blood covered him, and it formed a small pool around him. He was heavily breathing. Shizune was trying to heal him. Sai had his hands on Shizune's, lending her chakra. Tonton oinked sadly. Even with their combined chakra, it wasn't doing much. Naruto placed his hands on theirs, and lent them his chakra.

"It still isn't working!" Shizune cried, "I need more chakra!"

Naruto closed his eyes and searched deep within his mind.

_Okay Kyuubi, I don't care what you say, but I need your chakra to heal Yamato!_ Naruto thought.

_**Oh? Why should I? This man seals me away before I can have any fun,**_ the Kyuubi yawned mockingly at Naruto.

Naruto almost lost it.

_LISTEN YOU! YOU DO WHAT THE FUCK I SAY! YOU CAN ONLY LIVE IF I LIVE! YOU LEND ME YOUR CHAKRA SO I CAN HEAL HIM OR I'LL KILL MYSELF, THEREFORE KILLING YOU! I AM DAMN SERIOUS, TOO!_ Naruto screamed at the Kyuubi.

Silence.

_**Impressive... I can tell that you will actually kill yourself... very well, here's your damn chakra,**_ the Kyuubi said.

"It's working! The wound is starting to close!" Shizune exclaimed.

Naruto saw the wound finally close. Yamato slowly got up.

_Thanks,_ Naruto said to the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi did not answer.

"Careful, you almost died on us!" Shizune warned.

"I'll be fine... I'm just a bit weak," Yamato said.

"Oh!" Shizune just remembered Kakashi's letter to Sunagakure. She pulled it out of her robes. Seeing the letter made her sad. It brought back memories of Kakashi. She wanted it to go away, and it would.

"Sai, could you make a carrier bird out of ink, tie this letter to its leg, and make it go to Sunagakure?" Shizune asked, "K-" she hesitated. That name only brought sadness now, "Kakashi wrote it before he..."

"I understand," Sai said. He pulled out a scroll and drew up a carrier hawk. Shizune tied to letter to its semisolid leg as it flew off.

"Good. Now Sunagakure will know what's going on and we'll get reinforcements," Shizune said.

"Now that we're okay, let's search for any survivors," Yamato suggested.

Shizune nodded, and the four set off.

* * *

_Where is everybody?_ Sakura thought. The area they were in had no noise at all except a distant scream that eerily stopped. They soon heard nearby footsteps.

"Who's that?" Tsunade asked. Someone was approaching them.

"I'm human!" the man said back. As he got closer, they recognized him.

"Shino!" Sakura called out.

"Oh! Sakura! Lady Hokage! So glad to see you alive and well!" Shino said, "You probably know what's going on, right?"

Tsunade nodded and told Shino what had happened.

"So Anko and Kakashi have fallen to this mysterious jutsu... how unfortunate," Shino said sadly.

"We're searching for survivors in this half of the city. You're coming, right?" Sakura said.

"You'd be an idiot not to go," Shino responded.

A whoosh was suddenly heard as Tsunade caught a kunai by the handle. It was dripping with a mysterious yellow liquid. She tossed it aside. A person cloaked in Akatsuki garments was on a nearby roof.

"She's with Kenokami!" Sakura exclaimed.

"'She'?" Shino asked.

"No time to explain!" Sakura said.

The cloaked woman jumped from the rooftop. She landed on the ground and slowly approached them.

Shino unleashed thousands of his insects on the woman. They covered her completely, and went back to Shino a few seconds later. All that remained was her cloak.

"Your bugs eat people?" Sakura asked, disgusted.

"No! She must've used a jutsu!" Shino said.

The cloaked woman suddenly appeared behind Tsunade. She punctured her neck with a needle dipped in the same yellow mysterious liquid on the kunai Tsunade caught. Nobody noticed. The woman then shoved Tsunade away from her.

Sakura growled and punched the cloaked woman in the face. A sickening crack was heard. There was silence for a few seconds, and then Sakura screamed in pain. She collapsed to the ground, cradling her left fist that she punched the cloaked woman with. Tsunade investigated what had happened.

_What the hell?_ Tsunade thought, _Every bone in her left hand is broken! How in the..._

Tsunade shook the thought from her head. That woman was a former Akatsuki member, and the Akatsuki weren't known for being predictable. Tsunade knew that the woman was toying with them, or else she would've attacked her already.

Tsunade began to heal Sakura's wound. Shino used his insects to form an extension on his right arm made of bugs. He prepared to punch the woman, but she suddenly vanished, reappearing on a rooftop. She then ran away.

Shino's insects went back inside of him.

"That was... odd..." Shino said.

"There... all healed," Tsunade said to Sakura. Sakura slowly got up, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Shino gasped.

"What?" Tsunade asked him.

"You've been punctured in the back of the neck by that woman. She could've poisoned you!!!" Shino exclaimed.

Tsunade gasped. She closed her eyes and focused.

"There is an unknown fluid in my system, but it isn't poison..." Tsunade grimly said, "Let's not worry about it. She was toying with us during that fight. It's probably nothing. Let's continue searching."

Sakura and Shino nodded, and they followed Tsunade.

Unfortunately for them, that liquid was definitely something...

* * *

Shikamaru stopped running to catch his breath. He glanced behind him. The thirty-or-so zombies behind him were still there in the distance, moaning and groaning.

"Damn, do they ever give up? This is very troublesome," Shikamaru said, panting heavily. He looked ahead. He could see the tall apartment where Kurenai lived in the distance. He was almost there.

_Please be safe, Kurenai,_ he thought.

He continued running towards her building, this time faster than before. He was so close now!

The building slowly inched closer and closer into view as he swerved through streets and alleyways. A few zombies were in these streets and alleyways, but they were completely ignored by Shikamaru. All he was focused on was finding Kurenai safe and sound. Then they would escape Konoha. But what if she was... dead?

_Don't think of that!_ he commanded himself.

He finally arrived in front of Kurenai's apartment. The twenty-five-story building loomed over him. Most of the windows had blood smeared on them from the inside or the glass was shattered. Things didn't look good. The fact that the double doors were wide open, one of them only attached to the bottom hinge, worried him even more. He bit his lower lip and ran in.

He was thankful there was still sunlight, or else the entire apartment would be blanketed in darkness. A still-functioning clock told him it was almost ten A.M.

Shikamaru stopped for a bit, catching his breath as well as trying to remember which floor Kurenai's room was on.

_The seventeenth floor,_ his mind told him.

He then heard a groan. He looked towards the source of the noise. Three zombies were standing at a corner, slowly approaching him, blocking his way to the stairway.

Shikamaru scowled at them. He made a hand seal and extended his shadow onto each of their shadows.

_I hope this works on zombies..._ he thought.

The zombies did not move. He moved his arm around and grinned in delightment as the zombies mimicked his movement. He looked at them. They were all close to the wall. He then had an idea. He glanced behind him and saw no wall. He then turned towards the zombies.

Shikamaru moved his head frantically back and forth and grinned as he shakily saw the zombies slamming their heads on the wall behind them. He kept shaking his head more furiously until all three collapsed. He released his jutsu and stepped over the corpses, trying not to look at their busted open heads or the brain fragments on the floor.

He then ran up the stairs. Every floor he would make a small U-turn to access the next set of stairs. Soon he was on the seventeenth floor.

He looked to his left. That was Kurenai's door. He gulped and opened it. He closed it quietly.

"Kurenai?" he said, "Are you here? It's me, Shikamaru."

A closet opened slowly. He could see Kurenai's face. It was full of fear.

"It's okay, I'm human," Shikamaru said calmingly.

Kurenai pointed towards a door at the other end of her room.

Shikamaru look at the door. It was open.

"I'll kill it," Shikamaru said.

He slowly approached the door. He reached into a kunai pouch and clutched a kunai tightly in his hands.

He couldn't see anything beyond the doorway except complete darkness. He could swear that he saw something moving, but he couldn't tell. It was just too dark. He could hear his breathing seemingly echoing through the room.

He was near the door now. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

A man suddenly lunged from the darkness with an unholy roar. His hands grabbed Shikamaru as he tried to bite him. Shikamaru was scared shitless by the sudden attack. He quickly regained his senses and tried to shove the man off, but it was futile. He then kneed the man in the chest, but he didn't react to the blow.

The man's mouth was now inches from Shikamaru's neck. Shikamaru closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!!!" Shikamaru heard a familiar voice yell. He heard a swoosh and then a thud. He opened his eyes to see the zombie dead at his feet, a kunai sticking out of the zombie's right eye. Shikamaru turned to see his savior.

Kiba was sitting on Akamaru, grinning.

"Kiba!" Shikamaru exclaimed.

"That's it? No 'Thanks for saving my ass?'" Kiba asked.

Shikamaru and Kiba chuckled.

"Fine. Thanks for saving me," Shikamaru said, grinning. It was good to see someone alive and well.

"Where's Kurenai-sensei?" Kiba asked.

Shikamaru had forgotten about Kurenai hiding for a moment.

"Kurenai, it's safe. You can come out now," Shikamaru said.

The closet door fully opened and Kurenai walked out. She looked very frightened. Her eyes were bloodshot and her hair was frazzled. She closed her eyes, smoothed her hair, and sighed.

"Thank goodness you came," she said, "That man attacked me. Do any of you know what's going on?"

Shikamaru explained what had happened. Kiba then told his story.

"It all sounds fake... but thinking back about that man, it has to be true..." Kurenai said, "How could this have happened?"

"I wish I knew..." Shikamaru said.

"Anyways, we should search for other survivors, so we can kill these 'zombies,'" Kurenai said.

Shikamaru and Kiba agreed, and they left Kurenai's room.

* * *

Neji gasped for breath in exhaustion. He had fended off so many zombie Hyugas, but since they were technically dead and had no chakra, his Juuken fighting style was almost worthless. All it did was knock them away temporarily. Hinata and Hanabi still cowered behind them. What was most frightening was that Hiashi had turned into one of these creatures. Hinata and Hanabi, thankfully, did not see this.

He knocked another zombie back with his palm, but three more seemed to take its place. He knocked them away, too.

_I don't think I can keep this up much longer..._ Neji thought. He knocked away more zombies. He felt the ache in his arms.

Neji then heard a _very_ familiar voice shout, "DYNAMIC ENTRY!!!"

_Am I just imagining things?_ he thought.

His thought broke his concentration, and now a zombie was too close to him. He saw the face of the zombie close to him, and then he saw a foot slamming into the zombie's skull.

"Guy-sensei!" Neji exclaimed, "What's going on with this village?"

"I'll explain later!" Guy shouted amongst the din of moaning as he knocked away a large amount of the zombie Hyuga horde, leaving a big clearing.

Tenten then leapt from the tree behind them and landed in the clearing. Lee jumped from the tree and landed next to Guy.

Tenten reached into a pouch and pulled out two scrolls. She leapt up in the air and unfurled the scrolls.

Hundreds of weapons appeared via smoke, all attached to strings on Tenten's fingers. She moved her hands and all of the weapons moved towards the crowd of Hyuga zombies. They ripped and tore their skin, blood and various organs flying everywhere. Guy and Lee turned away as Neji stared in awe.

"W-what's happening?" Neji heard Hinata whimper from behind them.

"Don't look. We're safe, though. Guy, Lee, and Tenten are here," Neji said, "Tenten's killing all of these creatures."

The bloody and hacked up Hyugas barely looked human anymore. They still approached Tenten despite missing several body parts. Only a few were on the ground, not moving.

Tenten bit her lip and swung her weapons around some more. They tore apart the zombies some more. Blood and guts splattered against any nearby building. The ground was stained a rusty red color. Several organs littered the ground near the zombies. Tenten swung her weapons more and more until barely anything was left in front of her except blood and guts.

Her weapons vanished in puffs of smoke, and she breathed heavily, catching her breath. She stared at the massive bloodbath she had created. She saw a nearby bush. She ran to it and vomited into it.

"Hinata, Hanabi. It's safe now," Neji said, "Try not to look ahead of you..."

Hanabi and Hinata came out from hiding behind Neji. Hanabi faced the direction opposite of the bloodbath, but Hinata did not.

"W-w-what happened?" Hinata whimpered. She buried her face in her hands, crying softly. Neji went and comforted her.

Tenten walked towards the rest of the group.

"Nice job, Tenten!" Lee cheered.

"Yes, excellent job!" Guy said, grinning and giving a thumbs up.

"What's going on? What the hell happened here?" Neji demanded.

"Well, let's go then! Neji, Hinata, Hanabi. Are you coming?" Guy asked, obviously avoiding the question.

"Answer me!" Neji shouted, "Stop dodging the subject!"

Guy sighed, rubbing a finger to his forehead.

"I know little, but whatever happened made the people of Konoha turn into zombies..." Guy said.

"Zombies? The same things in those horror stories?" Neji asked. He didn't care much for horror books.

"The very same. They resemble them too much," Guy said, "We're killing as many as possible, rescuing any survivors we find. You coming?"

"What other choice do we have?" Neji asked, "Oh, Guy-sensei, I need to tell you something in private."

Neji leaned close to Guy and whispered in his ear.

"This has to have been caused by a jutsu. I saw Hiashi get bitten. Later, while I was defending Hinata and Hanabi, he came out of our house. He was one of these 'zombies' now..." Neji whispered.

Guy closed his eyes. He was in deep thought.

"Well, this certainly worsens the problem," he whispered back.

Neji and Guy stepped away from each other.

"Okay. Some bad news," Guy announced, "This is caused by an evil jutsu... and it spreads to other when they are bitten. Possibly more ways."

Dreadful silence followed that statement.

"...Let's be going, then!" Guy exclaimed with sudden enthusiasm, "Oh! I almost forgot! We're also looking for Tsunade. I doubt she is in the Administration Building anymore. So, everyone understand what we are supposed to do? Even if you recognize a zombie, don't hesitate! They are now a mindless creature trying to eat you! Think of it as putting them out of their misery..."

"Right, Guy-sensei!" Lee exclaimed.

"Uh, is there any other way out of this area? I don't want to walk in... _that_," Tenten asked, disgusted, pointing towards the bloodbath.

"Sure. Follow me," Neji said.

And so they did. In a nearby tree, a person cloaked in Akatsuki garb saw this. She bit her lip and vanished.

* * *

Kenokami was in their secret outpost in Konoha.

_Where the hell is Reiko?_ Kenokami thought, _Could she have... no. She's not dead._

Kenokami had his hand on his wound. It was almost healed.

Reiko, cloaked, suddenly appeared.

"Fuck!" Kenokami yelped, "Don't scare me like that!"

"I saw something terrifying..." Reiko said, removing her hood, "A young kunoichi summoned weapons from scrolls. Hundreds of weapons attached to strings on her fingers. She swung her hands around and around and destroyed a small army of zombies!!!"

"Shit!" Kenokami swore.

"Also, with the Hokage, was some person who used bugs..." Reiko said.

"Well, two more joined up with the nine-tails kid's gang. Some guy who uses wood jutsu and some other kid. That Naruto punk sure is tough. He went two tails at the very sight of me!" Kenokami exclaimed.

"Too many threats dwell in this village, but I took care of the Hokage..." Reiko said, grinning.

"What? You killed-?" Kenokami began.

"No," Reiko interrupted, "I condensed the gaseous zombie jutsu into a liquid. I dipped the liquid into a needle and punctured the back of her neck. By dawn tomorrow, she will turn into one of them..."

"Why so long? Normally it takes a few seconds for someone to turn," Kenokami asked.

"It was a crude way of condensing the jutsu, unlike what naturally happens in the body of someone infected," Reiko explained.

"I see..." Kenokami said.

* * *

"_Please_ come again!" a rather busty woman exclaimed.

Jiraiya, laughing, left the whorehouse.

He was walking away when he suddenly felt a chill.

_Something really bad is happening in Konoha..._ Jiraiya thought. He then leapt from tree to tree towards Konoha.

* * *

Otoshi stopped for a bit. He frowned.

_Not anywhere near the fire country yet, and walking getting boring,_ he thought, _Hmm.... ah, good. This jutsu will work._

He made a handseal and activated his jutsu. He then ran at sonic speeds.

_I love this super speed jutsu,_ Otoshi thought, grinning.

Otoshi suddenly halted and clutched his head, grunting in pain. The voice of his creator entered his head.

**"There you are, Otoshi. I see you've stolen my ring, betrayed my country, and then you went off and joined Akatsuki,"** Orochimaru's voice said.

"What the hell? How did you...?" Otoshi said out loud and to Orochimaru. To any passerby it would look like this already odd man had gone insane.

**"Nevermind that. Your little plan is worthless, you know. As soon as I claim this body, your entire plan will fall into my hands!"** Orochimaru said.

"Ha! You're full of shit," Otoshi said, "I haven't felt any of your life energy at all until now."

**"Perhaps because I have built up enough energy to be noticed. We're not fully connected, but I'll be sure to take over your body after I take over Sasuke's. It what I made you for,"** Orochimaru said. He wasn't there, but Otoshi could clearly picture him with a big, mocking sneer on his face.

"Wait, who is 'Sasuke,' exactly?" Otoshi questioned Orochimaru.

**"To be short, he is the remaining survivor of the Uchiha massacre. I tried to steal his body and finally claim the sharingan, but he 'killed' me. My body is no more, for that Kabuto absorbed my remains, hoping to surpass me. Ha! What a fool. Oh, I seem to be rambling now. Anyways, my soul exists within Sasuke's, and I am building up chakra so I can finish taking him over. He'll never expect it! Once I have the sharingan, I'll be invincible!"** Orochimaru boasted.

"So? I'll just use the Ryuukugan you created me with to defeat you!" Otoshi exclaimed.

**"HAHAHAHAHA!"** Orochimaru laughed, **"I created that Ryuukugan to be useful to me, too! I am completely immune to it, and I will be able to control anyone affected by it! You are just a **_**tool!**_** A worthless **_**tool**_** to help me conquer this world!"**

Otoshi was shocked by this news. His only other weapon besides his swords would actually help Orochimaru.

_He's bluffing,_ he convinced himself, _He never controlled the people affected by the Ryuukugan before, so he can't do it now!_

**"Believe your little lies you tell yourself. Go ahead, go with your plan. Build your little empire. I'll just come along in the end and take over. You are powerless compared to me! Your only weapon assists me!"** Orochimaru taunted.

"You shut the fuck up. Get the fuck out of my head. I happen to possess the legendary Masamune sword. That is one thing you cannot control!" Otoshi said fiercely.

There was silence for a moment.

**"...Fine. I'll leave you be. For now, at least..."** Orochimaru said.

Otoshi then felt the pain go away. Orochimaru had left his head.

"Well this is just fan-fucking-tastic," Otoshi sighed.

_You have the Masamune. He won't be able to touch you. Plus, it's going to take him several years to build up enough chakra to take over this Sasuke guy that killed his physical body. You have nothing to worry about,_ he convinced himself.

Otoshi sighed a bit, and resumed running at high speeds towards Konoha.

In the depths of Sasuke's mind, Orochimaru grumbled.

_Such a hassle. I exist within three people now... how will I be able to control all three of them?_ Orochimaru thought to himself.


	7. Chapter 7: Otoshi and Zombies

The Necromancer, Chapter 7:

Shikamaru, Kiba, and Kurenai were going down each staircase. Each had a kunai in hand and they were carefully observing their surroundings for any zombies. There were none as they went down the stairs. They soon reached the lobby.

Kurenai held up her hand to stop Kiba and Shikamaru. She pointed behind a desk. They could hear noises behind it.

Kurenai slowly approached the desk and peered behind it.

A woman wearing a dress was eating a man behind the desk. The man's stomach was ripped open and she was gorging on his intestines.

Kurenai felt vomit coming up. She turned away and managed to force the vomit back down. She quickly went behind the desk and shoved a kunai in the woman's head.

"Okay, it's safe now..." Kurenai said.

Shikamaru and Kiba nodded, and walked towards Kurenai. Kurenai was resting on the desk. Her eyes were closed and her hand was on her forehead.

"KURENAI!!! LOOK OUT!!!" Shikamaru shouted.

Kurenai whirled around to see the man that the woman was eating lunge at her. She closed her eyes in fear. She heard a whoosh. She opened her eyes and saw the man's mouth inches from her face. A kunai then impaled the man in the head. He hit the floor, motionless.

Kurenai shakily breathed.

"T-thanks..." she shuddered.

"You have to be more careful," Shikamaru said.

"Right..." Kurenai sighed, "Let's continue, shall we?"

They exited the apartment. The sight they saw before them was terrifying.

About sixty or so zombies were approaching them. Shikamaru dropped his kunai he was clutching in fright. He reached down and picked it up.

"Where the fuck did they all come from?" Kiba yelled.

"...They followed me while I was running to Kurenai's apartment..." Shikamaru said quietly.

"We have to try. It sounds crazy, but we have to survive!" Kurenai exclaimed.

"Very well..." Shikamaru sighed, "This will be tough. Kiba, do not let Akamaru bite them. He will probably become one of them if he does."

Kiba nodded, "Right."

Kiba turned to Akamaru. He petted him on the head.

"You're going to have to stay back, okay boy?" Kiba told Akamaru.

Akamaru barked.

"Good boy," Kiba said.

The three slowly walked towards the zombies, preparing for a very difficult battle...

* * *

Otoshi grinned with maniacal glee. He was near Konoha now. He could sense it.

He skidded to a halt and undid the superspeed jutsu. He was in front of the gates of Konoha. He grinned and entered the doomed town.

He immediately heard the breath and slow footsteps of zombies nearby. He stood there silently, waiting.

The zombies did not do anything. They were completely ignoring him because of his Akatsuki cloak. He grinned, delighted.

_The Necromancer is such a fool... he hasn't altered the zombie jutsu yet!_ Otoshi thought.

"Well..." he said to himself, "Time to search... every building... to find them."

He walked over to the closest house and opened the door. He searched every room. They were not in this building, so he exited it and searched another.

Otoshi sighed. This would take a while.

* * *

Kenokami gasped.

"What?" Reiko asked.

"I smell him... Otoshi... he's here!" Kenokami exclaimed.

"That traitor has the guts to show his face to us..." Reiko spat.

"Wait... why are we still wearing Akatsuki's cloaks?" Kenokami asked, "Otoshi probably ratted us out."

"You're right. We don't need these cloaks. I'll alter the zombie jutsu so the zombies attack anybody except us," Reiko said. She took off her Akatsuki cloak and made a hand seal and closed her eyes.

Kenokami took off his cloak and slammed it on the ground. He unsheathed a wakizashi and ripped the cloak to shreds. He sheathed the wakizashi.

"Done. The zombies will now attack Otoshi and any other Akatsuki member," Reiko said.

"He's nearby. What do we do?" Kenokami panicked.

"Stay calm. We stay in here. He's blind. He probably won't find us," Reiko said.

"I'm not so sure about that..." Kenokami said quietly.

* * *

"Where the hell is everybody? It's really creeping me out..." Shizune asked to nobody in particular. They had been searching the general area for survivors or zombies, and neither was found.

"We should check the buildings. People are probably inside," Sai suggested.

"He's right. Let's start with that one over there," Yamato said, pointing at a nearby building. It was an ordinary one-story house like many others in the village.

They approached the building. They could see blood splattered against a window. Yamato opened the door.

The house was a mess. Furniture was toppled over and/or destroyed. Dried blood was on several pieces of furniture. A beautiful vase lie shattered in the middle of the room.

A lone zombie wandered towards them. Sai quickly killed it and they exited the house.

"What if... what if we are the only ones left alive?" Naruto asked fearfully.

"Don't think that! It won't help!" Shizune lectured Naruto.

"I know... but... but why else would we not be hearing anybody?"

"Well, maybe someone's in that house," Yamato said, pointing to another generic house next door.

They entered that house. Its condition was much like the first building they entered, but this house had some heavily bloody mutilated corpses, and nobody inside.

"I guess not..." Yamato quietly said.

They left the building and heard lots of loud moaning in the distance.

"Huh? That's a lot of zombies attacking someone. Let's help them!" Naruto enthusiastically exclaimed.

They ran in the direction of the moans.

"Oh, shit!" Yamato swore.

A tall building loomed over them in the distance. At the bottom of the building was a giant mob of zombies.

"We have to help whoever's in danger!" Naruto exclaimed.

Shizune gulped, "A-are you so sure? There's so many of them!"

"It doesn't matter. We have to rescue them!" Yamato exclaimed.

"Wait! What about your arm, Naruto? Isn't it still damaged from the Rasen Shuriken?" Shizune asked.

Naruto looked at his injured arm. He moved it around and found out it didn't hurt anymore.

"The Kyuubi must've regenerated it!" Naruto exclaimed, "So now I can kick some zombie ass!"

Yamato made the first move. He did some hand seals and large roots burst out of the ground, impaling six nearby zombies in the head. Shizune launched six needles at three zombies. Out of the six needles, only one imbedded itself in a zombie's skull. Shizune decided to let the others do the work.

"We're at the other end of this crowd!" They heard a woman shout.

Sai unfurled a scroll and quickly made a rough sketch of a gorilla. It burst out of the scroll and began smashing zombies out of its way.

"That's not killing them!" Shizune exclaimed.

"I know," Sai responded, "It's clearing a way to rescue the people on the other side."

"Oh," Shizune said, a little embarrassed.

Naruto closed his eyes and summoned a few shadow clones. They helped him form a Rasengan. The shadow clones vanished and Naruto ran into the crowd of zombies, yelling in anger. He tore through the zombies with the powerful spinning orb of concentrated chakra. It punched large holes through their bodies. Sometimes Naruto moved the orb to a zombie's head and it completely destroyed the zombie's head. Usually it completely severed their torso from their legs. When the Rasengan faded, half of the zombies had been reduced to a pile of writhing body parts.

"Did I get 'em?" Naruto panted.

* * *

Shikamaru had a few zombies trapped with his shadow and Kiba was about to stab them in the head when they saw massive roots burst from the ground.

"Someone's here!" Kurenai exclaimed. She then shouted, 'We're at the other end of this crowd!"

"All right! Other survivors!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Hurry up and kill these zombies I have in my shadow!" Shikamaru ordered.

"Okay, okay!" Kiba exclaimed. He stabbed each zombie in the head with a kunai. They dropped to the ground, now truly dead.

They heard a loud roar, and they suddenly saw zombies being batted away by a large gorilla-type creature. The gorilla then dissolved into ink.

"Over here!" a man yelled at them.

They saw a blonde person in a black and orange outfit form an orb of chakra in his hands. He ran into the zombies.

"That's Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed. The four ran through the cleared path, meeting up with the people at the other end.

"Glad to see you're alive!" Shizune exclaimed.

"Did I get 'em?" they heard Naruto ask. He sounded very tired.

"Only half," Shikamaru unhelpfully pointed out.

Naruto sighed and formed another Rasengan. He ran at the other half and annihilated them. Shizune fired needles at the torn apart zombies that still moved. The entire crowd of zombies had been destroyed.

"So, what happened to you guys?" Kurenai asked.

Shizune told her the story. Everyone became saddened when she mentioned Kakashi's death. Kurenai, Kiba, and Shikamaru then told everyone their stories. There was silence after the stories for a while.

"So, let's continue searching for survivors then!" Shizune suddenly exclaimed.

The rest of the group agreed, and they set off.

* * *

Sakura slammed her fist into a zombie's head, punching a hole through it. She withdrew her arm and wiped off the blood.

They were in someone's house. They entered hoping to find survivors, but instead they found zombies. Sakura had killed the last one.

"I'm starting to wonder if anyone else is alive..." Tsunade muttered, looking away from the bloody scene in front of her.

"We still have to have hope," Sakura said.

"There's nothing more in this building. I've checked. Let's look in another building," Shino said.

They left the building and saw Guy doing a thumbs-up.

"See? I told you I'd find someone! My senses of... um... _finderosity _are the best in Konoha!" Guy boasted, making things up.

"Way to go Guy-sensei!" Lee cheered.

"Guy! Lee! Neji! Hinata!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Glad to see that you're all alive!" Tsunade exclaimed.

"The same to you, too!" Tenten cheerfully said.

"I suspect you've all had your hardships, right?" Guy asked.

Tsunade's cheerful expression turned into a sad one. She began telling her story. The news of Kakashi's death hit Guy's team like a bullet.

"Kakashi... no..." Guy said very quietly. Tears formed in his eyes.

There was silence for a moment.

"I know how you must feel. Our entire clan, except for Hinata, Hanabi, and I, fell to this evil jutsu," Neji said sadly.

More silence.

"I know now is not the right time," Hinata piped up, "but... how did you three," she pointed to Tenten, Guy, and Lee, "find us? You never mentioned that."

"Oh. Sorry about that," Guy said, his voice distant, "I was training with Lee and Tenten when we were attacked. Worried, I went to save Neji. That's when we looked for Tsunade, and here we are."

"Well, let's continue looking for survivors, shall we?" Tsunade asked.

"Very well. I just hope we find some..." Guy said.

* * *

Otoshi had checked seven more buildings. He closed the door of a building he just left.

He heard several moans nearby. He heard irregular footsteps approaching him.

_They're attacking me now? That means only one thing..._ Otoshi thought in delight, _Kenokami smells me. He knows I'm nearby._

He fingered Orochimaru's curse seal on his neck. He could feel energy pulsing within.

He unsheathed the katana on his left hip. He quickly stabbed each zombie approaching him in the head. He heard their corpses hit the ground. He wiped the blood off of the blade with a piece of cloth. He sheathed the perfectly crafted blade in a black sheath.

He sensed a very tall building in front of him. A building perfect for observing chaos and destruction.

Otoshi knew that building was the one they were in. He entered the building and went up a stairway that led to the top of the building. He sensed a double door. He could hear breathing behind it. He slowly turned the doorknob in excitement.

"He's here! He's opening the door!" Kenokami warned. Reiko turned her head towards the door.

It slowly opened and Otoshi casually walked in.

"Hello," he said cheerfully.

"YOU DIE NOW!!!" Kenokami roared. He unsheathed his oversized katana and growled when he saw the dent Naruto made on it. He ran towards Otoshi.

Otoshi suddenly turned and ran out of the building. Kenokami pursued him, and Reiko reluctantly followed.

Soon they were outside. Otoshi was staring down Kenokami, and Kenokami was staring down him.

"A bit violent, aren't we?" Otoshi asked innocently, his hand fingering the katana on his left hip.

"Shut up, traitor!" Reiko yelled.

"Who the hell are you?" Otoshi asked.

"I am Reiko. I am the one you call 'The Necromancer,'" she answered.

"Wow... The Necromancer is a woman, and a _verrrry_ pretty one," Otoshi said.

"How the hell can you see me? I thought you were blind!" Reiko angrily asked.

"And how did you find us?" Kenokami asked.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. So many people underestimate me. I am full of _many_ surprises. People underestimating me really PISS ME OFF!!!" Otoshi yelled.

"Then why don't you be kind enough to explain to us?" Reiko asked, her voice full of sarcasm.

"Very well. It's a jutsu I keep up all the time that lets me sense where inanimate objects are. I have no idea how I see people. I just... do. Upon hearing someone's voice, these strange images enter my head. Leader told me that these images were the people talking. Happy?" Otoshi answered with anger.

"Too bad you're bullshiting," Kenokami said, "Prove it. Take off that headband around your eyes."

Otoshi sighed. He tried as hard as possible to sustain the Ryuukugan's power. He lifted the headband up. His inhuman eyes stared at Kenokami and Reiko.

Kenokami and Reiko were shocked. Otoshi had a blood red sclera, pitch black irises, and blazing red pupils! His eyes were wandering around randomly, each eye looking in a different direction.

"I cannot see out of these eyes. The Ryuukugan grants control at the cost of vision," Otoshi said, slipping his headband over his eyes.

_Who the hell is he? He was mysterious at first, but now..._ Kenokami thought.

"So..." Reiko said, breaking the silence, "I bet Akatsuki is on their way here to kill us."

"Nope, I used the Ryuukugan to prevent them from coming here. It's just me here. I have plans that differ from Akatsuki's," Otoshi said, "You two will most likely hinder these plans of mine, so I'm afraid I have to kill you."

"Fat chance!" Kenokami yelled. He charged towards Otoshi.

"This will be fun," Otoshi said.

Otoshi grinned and blocked Kenokami's blade with his katana, which he unsheathed at speeds quicker than the eye could catch.

"You're going to have to try harder than that," Otoshi sneered as he kicked Kenokami square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. Otoshi swung his sword downwards at Kenokami's head. He stopped inches from the head.

"There. Right there I could've killed you. You really have to try harder than that," Otoshi said, grinning.

Otoshi suddenly leapt to the right. A scorching beam of flames was right in front of his face. He followed the direction opposite of the flames and saw Reiko's palm outstretched.

"I see it's two on one now," Otoshi said.

Kenokami stabbed his sword at Otoshi, who sidestepped it. He swung his sword at Kenokami's neck and stopped a few inches from it.

"That's two times I could've killed you," Otoshi stated.

He ducked as three balls of lightning made by Reiko flew over his head. He then sprinted towards Reiko. Reiko was too shocked by his speed to react. Otoshi swung his sword at Reiko's neck, and stopped a few inches from it.

"One for you," Otoshi said.

Reiko bit her lip and activated her Sharingan. Her jade green eyes turned into the bright red eyes of the Uchihas.

"DAMMIT!" Kenokami yelled in anger, "YOU STOP FUCKING TOYING WITH US!!!"

"Okay. You asked for it," Otoshi said nonchalantly.

Otoshi leapt up in the air and pointed his blade downwards. He was above Kenokami. He thrust the blade downwards, expecting to hear the sound of a body dropping, but instead he heard the clang of metal. Kenokami had unexpectedly blocked his sword. He put his feet on the flat of the massive blade and pushed himself off. He heard Reiko running at him. He spun around midair to face her. He heard a strange chirping noise.

_Yes, this jutsu used by that spikey-haired masked man will work..._ Reiko thought.

Reiko thrusted the Chidori into Otoshi's stomach. He grunted in pain as the Chidori tore through his stomach.

"That's for telling the Akatsuki Leader our plans to betray them," Reiko said.

"You're welcome," Otoshi said sarcastically, smiling, blood dripping from his mouth. That smile remained on him as he fell, dead.

"L-let's go back to the outpost," Reiko suggested.

"Fine by me," Kenokami said, sheathing his sword. They walked away from the fallen man.

"You let your guard doooowwwnnnn!!!" Otoshi exclaimed in a sing-song voice as he leapt up and thrust his sword through Kenokami's chest. He twisted it and shoved it up with both of his hands. Kenokami screamed in pain as the sword left a large and nasty wound from below his ribcage to the bottom of his neck. Otoshi withdrew the sword and he could see the buildings opposite him through Kenokami's wound for a split second. Blood covered up the view afterwards.

Kenokami fell down. Reiko gasped in terror. Otoshi grunted in pain as he healed the wound in his stomach.

"Now it's _your_ turn!" Otoshi exclaimed with maniacal glee. He slowly approached Reiko. He lifted his katana up to his mouth and licked some of the blood off of it.

Reiko clenched her teeth and made some hand seals. A pillar of flame burst from the ground below Otoshi. Reiko sighed in relief as she saw Otoshi get incinerated by the pillar of fire.

"I don't go down that easily," Otoshi said. Reiko gasped. She could feel Otoshi's breath on her neck. She looked down and saw a sword at her neck. Otoshi made a quick, clean cut across her throat. He didn't hear blood spilling, he heard metal scraping metal. He saw that his sword had scraped against the metal plate of her village headband, which was around her neck.

"Dammit!" Otoshi growled. Reiko took this time to stomp Otoshi's foot. Otoshi yelped in pain and cradled his foot. Reiko elbowed him in the nose. He stepped back a bit, covering his now bleeding nose with his hand.

"You little _bitch!_" Otoshi said spitefully at Reiko. He ran at Reiko and sliced his katana down vertically. Reiko tried to dodge, but she wasn't fast enough.

She shrieked in pain as Otoshi's sword made a deep gash on her right arm from her shoulder to her hand.

Otoshi could smell the blood. The smell of blood excited him. He wanted more and more! A sick, cruel, sadistic grin formed on his face.

He did a downward vertical slash again, but he stopped midway.

Reiko had formed another Chidori with her remaining arm and she had thrust it deep within his chest.

Reiko saw Otoshi's mouth from words, but no sound came from them. He grinned, then spat up blood. He dropped his katana and fell face first onto the ground.

Reiko breathed heavily, clenching her wounded arm. She walked over to Kenokami. The wound on him looked pretty bad, but the five-tails would heal it sooner or later. The real problem was her wound. She mustered up enough strength to pick up Kenokami with her remaining arm. He was heavy, but she could manage the weight.

She entered the outpost and closed the door. She went up to the top floor and laid Kenokami against a wall. She sat down in a chair and looked out a window and saw Otoshi's body. Blood was flowing down her arm. She closed her eyes and searched within her mind for the jutsu see saw Otoshi used.

_Found it!_ she thought.

She placed her good hand over her arm and saw chakra flow from her hand to the wounds. The blood evaporated and the wounds slowly closed. Eventually her arm was good as new. She moved it around to test its endurance. It was perfectly fine.

_That's a damn good healing jutsu you've got there, Otoshi,_ she thought as her sight returned to Otoshi's corpse.

Her Sharingan eyes then caught the movement of Otoshi's chest. He was breathing! He was still alive. She gasped as she saw Otoshi slowly and shakily get up. He the used the same healing jutsu on the wound on his chest. She started to panic. She was in no fighting condition!

She then saw Otoshi look up at her through the window. How could he know she was there if he was blind? Otoshi grinned his psychotic grin at her. Suddenly his voice entered her head.

_"Don't worry. I hear your panicked breaths. I'll let you go. I want to see if there's any other "fun" in this village. I'll come back to you if there isn't. Ta-ta!"_ Otoshi said to her.

She then saw Otoshi walk off elsewhere in the village, waving at her with the back of his hand.

Reiko's hand balled up into a fist. She clenched it tight. This man was ruining her plans!

* * *

_This is bad. I can tell Konoha's in great danger. I have to get there fast!_ Jiraiya thought. He was riding a large toad to Konoha.

He was riding through a forest path. He suddenly saw a cloaked man standing right in front of him, a hand outstretched.

Jiraiya pulled back on the toad's head.

"Stop!" Jiraiya commanded. The toad skidded to a halt, stopping a few feet from the man.

"Ow! Did you _have_ to pull that hard?" the toad complained. Jiraiya ignored the toad and hopped off of it. He walked towards the man, who didn't say anything.

"Hello?" Jiraiya asked, waving his hands in front of the man's hood.

The man grabbed Jiraiya's wrist. His grip was incredibly strong and his touch was cold as ice. Jiraiya shuddered as the man tossed his hand aside.

_This man... he is incredibly powerful... he could probably defeat me..._ he thought.

"You are going to Konoha, right?" the man asked. His voice was deep, chilling, and sinister.

"Yes, why?" Jiraiya asked, trying as best as he could to mask the fear deep within him.

"I suggest you turn back," the man said, "It would not be wise to go there right now..."

"Why?" Jiraiya asked.

"Turn back before it is too late," the cloaked man said, avoiding Jiraiya's question.

"Or else what?" Jiraiya asked.

The man said nothing and vanished.

Jiraiya stood there for a moment, shrugged, and hopped back on the toad.

"Let's continue to Konoha!" Jiraiya exclaimed, pointing forwards.


	8. Chapter 8: Madara Uchiha

The Necromancer, Chapter 8:

Reiko gasped in terror. Something was horribly wrong. She looked around the building and saw nothing different. Her eyes wandered to the large window in front of her. The gates of Konoha loomed before her. She saw a cloaked man walking into the town.

Reiko's eyes widened. Her body started shaking.

"N-no... he's here!" Reiko breathed. She ran out of the building.

The cloaked man paused.

_So she's here... I hope she has improved..._ he thought.

The man saw Reiko exit the building. She paused and slowly walked towards him.

"You... you are Madara, are you not?" Reiko asked with extreme anger.

The man removed his hood. He was a very handsome man with pale skin and shoulder length black hair. His fiery red Sharingan eyes penetrated Reiko's soul.

"I see you have grown to be a very lovely woman, sister..." Madara said. His voice was deep, chilling, and sinister.

Reiko clenched her fist. All of her anger, past and present, seemed to burst out of her at that very moment.

"You... you DESTROYED MY CHILDHOOD!!!" Reiko screamed. She extended her right arm. An orb of whirling, spinning chakra formed in her palm. Flames then enveloped the orb. Air swirled around the orb so quickly it was visible. Arcs of electricity surrounded the orb. She yelled and ran at Madara.

"THIS IS ONE OF MY STRONGEST JUTSUS!!! PREPARE YOURSELF!!!" she screamed. She slammed the orb into Madara's chest. He grunted.

Reiko gasped in horror. Her jutsu made no visible wound!

"...Pathetic. That's all you have? That's all? That is one of your strongest jutsus, and look what it did to me. Nothing," Madara said. Tears formed in Reiko's eyes. She couldn't believe what had just happened.

Madara poked Reiko in the stomach with his index finger, and she flew back about five feet. She clutched her stomach, gasping for air. Madara walked up to her. He saw the ring on her left index finger.

"Ha. I see you've joined my organization. Due to the fact you are wearing that black outfit and not the Akatsuki cloak, I would say that you have betrayed them," Madara said.

"What are you talking about? I've seen the Akatsuki Leader, and you are not him!" Reiko exclaimed indignantly, pausing every now and then due to pain.

"Someone had to start Akatsuki," Madara said, "I knew of the tailed beasts before I kidnapped you. I have spoken with many of them. I've always wanted to control the world, and sealing and then controlling the tailed beasts was the key. I formed a small organization of powerful criminals, and I had no idea how to seal and then control the tailed beasts. That's when the current leader proposed the current plan. It turned out sealing the tailed beasts went too slow for me, so I left and made the current leader the... current leader. I no longer care for Akatsuki. They are no threats to my plan. I could easily kill all of them."

Reiko couldn't believe it, but she knew it had to be true. How much was her brother hiding from her when she was a little girl?

"How and why did you come here?" Reiko asked with extreme hate.

"How? I walked here. Why? To teach you a lesson..." Madara answered.

"What?" Reiko asked, confused.

"I could sense that my wonderful zombie jutsu had been used elsewhere. Who else could use it except you? So I did some research on the current Akatsuki and found out that there was a member called _'The Necromancer.' _Laughable. You? The Necromancer?" Madara said.

"What are you talking about!? W-wait! You... you look exactly the same as you did twenty years ago! The night you zombified everyone in the Sun Village!" Reiko exclaimed.

Madara laughed, ignoring her.

"You steal my title, thinking you are equal to me in strength, even though you use the weakest type of zombie jutsu! _I_ am the _real_ Necromancer. I control life and death itself! Allow me to demonstrate..." Madara said.

Madara made a complicated set of hand seals. Reiko was shocked. Her Sharingan was not recording his quick hand seals.

"The Sharingan cannot detect it. I made sure that only I could use this jutsu..." Madara said, seeing the surprised look on Reiko's face.

Black gas emerged from Madara's fingertips. It snaked into the air, split into two orbs of gas, and then they shot off in different directions. A few seconds later, Reiko saw the gas come back lightning quick. The gases hit the ground in front of Madara and formed a whirling ring shape. Two rings of gas on the ground flanked Madara.

"I can take the souls of the dead and completely reform their bodies. The best part is that they are completely under my control!!!" Madara exclaimed maniacally.

A bright blue glowing smoke snaked out of the ground in the middle of the rings. Reiko shakily stood up. The smoke shaped itself into a humanoid shape. The smoke on the left took the form of a man, the smoke on the right took the form took the form of a woman. The humanoid shaped smoke then turned into actual humans. The black gas evaporated.

Reiko gasped in terror. The people that stood before her were her parents. Fugaku Uchiha, her father, and Mikoto Uchiha, her mother.

"N-no! YOU BASTARD!!!" she shrieked at Madara, "What are you going to do with them?"

"Nothing, just make them mentally and physically torture you," Madara said, a sick, sadistic grin on his face.

"You are living filth!" Fugaku said angrily, walking over to Reiko.

"You were a mistake! You were never supposed to be born!" Mikoto shouted, also approaching Reiko.

"They're not real, they're just an illusion. They're not real, they're just an illusion. They're not real, they're just an illusion..." Reiko repeated quietly to herself.

"So you think I'm fake? Worthless bitch!" Fugaku yelled as he slammed his fist into Reiko's face. Reiko cried out in pain and shielded her face.

"Drop dead, you fucker!!!" Mikoto screamed. She kneed Reiko in the stomach and she slapped her across the face several times. Fugaku then kicked Reiko in the chest and she fell down. Fugaku raised his foot above Reiko's chest and brung it down with great speed. Reiko yelled out in pain.

"Worthless pile of trash!" Fugaku indignantly exclaimed, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a knife. Reiko tried to escape, but Mikoto used a jutsu that pinned her arms and legs to the ground.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Mikoto said with inhuman cruelty.

"Mom! Dad! Don't!" Reiko pleaded to them, crying. She had forgotten about Madara's presence.

Fugaku grinned sadistically and stabbed her repeatedly in the chest. Reiko screamed in pain. The scream increased in intensity and volume with each stab. She then noticed that Mikoto was healing the wounds so she would not die. But this healing jutsu just stopped the bloodflow. It didn't stop the pain. She was going to get stabbed over and over and over again.

"Please, stop! I'm... I'm...a..good....girl," Reiko begged, "What.... what... did I do..... to... to deserve this?"

"Shut up you fucker!" Fugaku indignantly yelled. He began to stab her some more.

_Time to observe the rest of the village,_ Madara thought. He walked away from the gruesome scene.

Kenokami's eyes opened.

_Huh? Why am I here? Where's Reiko?_ he thought. He glanced outside.

"Shit!" he swore. He quickly ran out of the building.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!!!" Kenokami yelled. He unsheathed a katana and stabbed Mikoto in the head. Mikoto gasped and slumped to the ground, dead. Her body turned into the bright glowing blue smoke, which then vanished. Fugaku ignored Kenokami and continued stabbing Reiko. Kenokami growled, grabbed Fugaku's neck, and snapped it. Fugaku turned into the blue smoke as well.

Kenokami leant down near Reiko.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a worried look on his face.

"H-he's here..." Reiko said weakly, "My brother... Madara... he.... can resurrect and control the dead..."

"Don't talk. Save your strength," Kenokami said. He picked up Reiko.

"Thanks... for saving me..." Reiko said.

"No problem. Who were those two anyway?" Kenokami asked.

"My parents. Madara resurrected them with a jutsu and made them attack me..." Reiko said.

"Your brother's royally pissing me off. I'll fucking kill him for this!" Kenokami indignantly exclaimed.

"But... one of my strongest jutsus did nothing to him..." Reiko said.

They entered their observatory.

"You're forgetting I have the five-tails in me. You haven't seen any of my strength yet," Kenokami boasted.

"But... why? Why are you protecting me?" Reiko asked.

"I'm just going to come out and say it: I love you. I've loved you ever since you've shown me your face. I will protect you with my very life. That means grinding your enemies to dust!" Kenokami said.

Reiko blushed, "I-I don't know what to say..."

"Here we are," Kenokami said, placing Reiko on a bed.

Reiko used the healing jutsu she saw Otoshi use and healed her wounds, this jutsu removing the pain as well.

_What the hell... do we do? Madara and Otoshi are going to ruin everything!_ she thought. Her plan of using the zombies to attract Madara's attention worked and failed at the same time. Madara did come, but Reiko never expected him to be that powerful.

Kenokami sat down on the bed next to her.

"Don't worry about it," Kenokami said. He saw the worried look on her face, "You have me. I'll protect you..."

"Thank you, Kenokami," Reiko said. She hugged Kenokami, and he hugged back.

* * *

Otoshi slowly walked around the village, whistling a tune.

"This place is boring. Don't tell me Kenokami and Reiko are the only living people here..." Otoshi whined to nobody in particular.

He paused. He heard voices in the distance.

"Oh! We didn't check this building!" he heard a woman exclaim. The image of the woman appeared in his head. These images were very strange to Otoshi. He had never seen colors or knew what a person looked like. He had felt the shape of shapes, but that was it. Orochimaru helped him with the basics of the human face. This woman was pretty. She had black hair. Well, Otoshi assumed it was black. Orochimaru told him black was the darkest color.

Otoshi grinned. He heard several footsteps enter the building. There were seven people in that group. He walked towards that building.

He felt the building loom over him. He heard footsteps coming close to him. The group was exiting.

Naruto opened the door to exit the house. His group had once again found nobody in a building. All of a sudden he saw the strange man standing before them.

"Who the hell are you?" Sai asked.

Otoshi waved at them, happily grinning. "Hello," he said.

"He's from Akatsuki!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Thanks for informing everyone, Captain Obvious," Otoshi said in a mocking tone. Naruto growled at him.

"What are we waiting for?" Shizune asked. She lifted up one of her sleeves and pulled three strings on her needle launcher. Three poison-dipped needles flew at Otoshi. He easily ducked.

"Are _all_ residents of Konoha violent people?" Otoshi asked, grinning sickly, "I finally found some people who could speak. I thought you'd be more civil than most of the other people here, but you're just as bloodthirsty as those flesh eaters."

"That does it!" Naruto indignantly yelled, "How _dare_ you mock the people who fell to _your_ jutsu!"

"_My_ jutsu?" Otoshi asked, "I believe you're wrong. I am not with the two traitors. I am here to kill them and put _my_ plan into action. You could call me a traitor of traitors and a traitor of traitors' traitees."

Everyone stared oddly at Otoshi.

"So you're saying you've betrayed Akatsuki _and_ the Rogue Akatsuki?" Kurenai asked.

"Correct!" Otoshi exclaimed, "I hope we can be good friends," he said, extending his hand, expecting someone to shake it.

There was an uneasy moment of silence. Otoshi moved his hand a little, as if to say, "Shake my fucking hand already!"

"Don't trust him! There's something sinister under that headband..." Yamato warned them.

"No there isn't... I'm just blind, that's all," Otoshi lied.

Naruto stared at the odd man in front of him. He did not like him one bit. Especially that formal, mocking tone in his voice.

"You expect us to trust you when you haven't even introduced yourself? Do you take us for fools?" Kiba asked.

"Oh, _pardon_ me. How _rude_ of me," Otoshi said, putting heavy emphasis on those two words, "I am Otoshi. I have no last name. There. Trust me."

Yamato made some hand seals and made large roots come out of the ground. They went towards Otoshi. Otoshi stood there, and suddenly an invisible force chopped the roots. The sound of a katana being sheathed was heard.

"Come now, we don't have to be so violent," Otoshi said. The grin on his face was gone and his voice was much colder and unwelcome now. His hand was no longer extended.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled, "First you mock all of the victims of this terrible zombie jutsu, and then you expect us to trust you? You're still wearing your Akatsuki robe! I'm not stupid!"

Naruto formed a Rasengan and ran over to Otoshi. He slammed the orb of chakra into his chest.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Do you?" Otoshi asked, his voice directly behind Naruto's ears.

"Huh? How!?!" Naruto exclaimed. Otoshi kicked him in the gut, and he flew back a couple of feet.

"That's it, you're going down!" Shikamaru exclaimed. He extended his shadow until it touched Otoshi's. Otoshi then mimicked Shikamaru's position.

"What a fun little jutsu," Otoshi said, "Mind teaching me it sometime?"

"Quiet!" Shizune said, firing some poison needles into his body. He suddenly vanished. Shizune and Shikamaru gasped.

Otoshi fell from the sky and slammed his heel into Shizune's head. She dropped very quickly and did not get back up.

_Damn! My genjutsu is useless because we cannot share direct eye contact!_ Kurenai thought. She backed away from the battle.

Kiba and Akamaru charged at Otoshi. Otoshi kicked away Kiba, but Akamaru sunk his teeth deep into Otoshi's arm and did not let go.

"AUGH!" Otoshi painfully cried out, "Fucker!"

He formed a fist with his free hand and slammed it into Akamaru's face. Akamaru yelped and let go of his arm.

"That's _it!_" Otoshi yelled fiercely. He took off his headband. He could immediately feel all tension of battle evaporate. They were under his control now.

"Okay... you'll all just stand there until I am safely away from you!" Otoshi ordered. His tied his headband back on and ran off.

_Yes... they'll be lots of fun..._ he thought.

* * *

Gaara was relaxing in the Kazekage's office. He heard something fly through and open window. He opened one eye and saw a bird with a letter tied to its leg, the leaf symbol stamped on it. He quickly untied it and was a bit shocked when the bird dissolved into ink, but he ignored it. He opened the letter and read it:

_Kazekage, it's me, Kakashi. I have very important and urgent news. This may sound made up, but I assure you, it is real and we need help fast._

_Two members of Akatsuki have arrived in our village undetected. We learned later that they had betrayed Akatsuki for reasons unknown. These rogues consist of two people, a strong man with several swords strapped to his back, spikish blue hair, and wolf-like eyes and teeth. Through a battle with him, we discovered that he has a tailed beast sealed within him before he retreated. There is also a mysterious cloaked woman, most likely the leader of the two. Somehow they have retrieved the rings of two dead Akatsuki members, their bodies in Konoha custody. The woman has developed a deadly jutsu that turns people into zombies. You've read right, zombies. Most of Konoha's population are zombies now. Apparently the zombie outbreak started at 2 A.M., according to Naruto. Currently I am in the Administration Building with Naruto, Sakura, Shizune, and Tsunade. The Hokage is safe as of 9:27 A.M., the time of this writing._

Gaara glanced at his clock. It was 1 P.M. now. He worriedly resumed reading the letter.

_We request for reinforcements immediately. This is urgent. We are being hunted down by two powerful criminals and countless citizens driven by evil to eat us._

There was different handwriting at the bottom.

_This is the Hokage. Everything he has said is true. Send reinforcements immediately! We need all the help we can get!_

Gaara finished reading the letter. The information made no sense to him, but he had no choice but to believe them. It would take a day or two to reach Konoha on foot. He had to act now!

Gaara quickly stood up, letter in his hand, and went to gather troops.

* * *

Zetsu clutched his head. All of a sudden he got a sharp headache. It quickly subsided.

_What the hell?_ he thought. All of a sudden several images bombarded his brain. They were the events before Otoshi left the Akatsuki base. Why did Zetsu forget them?

_It's those eyes of his..._ Zetsu's other half said to him, _You need to release the others from their control..._

Zetsu walked over to each of the Akatsuki members effected by Otoshi's eyes and pressed two of his fingers against their foreheads. Soon an enraged Akatsuki was asking questions.

"SILENCE!!!" Zetsu yelled. The Akatsuki shut up and listened, _"Otoshi has a very powerful kekkei genkai, it seems, that allows him to control anyone who sees his eyes. We were all unfortunate victims of this..."_ Zetsu's other side said. His normal side added, "He has most likely betrayed us. What should be our course of action, Leader?"

The Akatsuki Leader, sitting on his throne in the shadows, sighed. His bright red eyes seemingly glowed in the darkness.

After a moment of silence, the Leader answered, "We have only two bijuu left until our goal is reached. Both of the jinchuuriki holding those two bijuu are in Konohagakure. The three traitors of our organization are also in Konohagakure. I will remain here. Every one else is ordered to go to Konohagakure and immediately subdue and bring the remaining jinchuuriki here!"

"Pardon me, but what about-?" Kisame began, but was quickly interrupted by the Leader.

"She is on another mission. Are you all not confident enough that you can deal with these problems?" The Leader asked.

"Yeah, we'll fucking kick their asses!" Tobi exclaimed.

"Bad Tobi! Bad boy!" Deidara scolded, smacking Tobi upside the head.

"I'm sorry, Dei-dei. Tobi will be a good boy," Tobi whimpered.

"Don't call me that, yeah," Deidara grumbled under his breath.

"Very well. We will not disappoint you, Leader," Itachi said.

Itachi left with Kisame, and Deidara constructed two birds made of clay. He and Tobi flew off.

Zetsu started sinking into the ground.

"Wait a minute, Zetsu," The Leader ordered.

Zetsu stopped in the middle of fusing with the ground. His torso stook out of the ground. "Yes?"

"If there are any casualties on our side, I want you to bring the corpses here. If the traitors are killed, I want you to bring their corpses here. If there are any corpses of powerful ninja, I want their corpses, too. Understand?" The Leader asked.

"Why, exactly?" Zetsu asked. His other half eerily spoke, _"Can I just eat them instead?"_

"No, you cannot eat them. I want you to bring me the corpses just in case the Superior returns..." The Leader said.

Zetsu wondered what he meant by the "Superior," but he did not ask any questions. The very thought of the _Leader_ of the _Akatsuki_ referring to _someone else_ as _"Superior"_ was baffling. He resumed fusing with the ground.


	9. Chapter 9: Encounter

The Necromancer, Chapter 9:

Madara had not sensed any human presence throughout the village so far. There had only been a small amount of zombies. This troubled him. _Can_ just a few zombies wipe out almost an entire village? _Of course they could,_ he thought. The Sun Village's current state was the primary example.

He suddenly felt the presence of a group of people. _Living_ people. He quickly ran towards the source to see if they were friend or foe.

He stood in their path. He could see them in the distance. Eight people. Four girls, two powerful-looking men, two odd-looking men that also looked powerful, and one of the legendary Sannin. He had encountered the only other surviving Sannin earlier.

"Who's that in the distance? I don't like the looks of him..." Sakura asked.

"Don't be like that just because he is cloaked. He may be a good person," Neji scolded Sakura.

"Only one way to find out..." Tsunade said.

They cautiously approached the mysterious cloaked man, who just stood there watching them approach.

"Hello!" Guy greeted the man, "It's so good to finally find another survivor! Do you wish to join up with us and help the village?" Guy extended his hand.

The man slapped Guy's hand away, "I want nothing to do with helping this village." The man's voice sent shivers down everyone's spines. Hinata hid behind Neji.

"Who are you then?" Tsunade angrily asked.

The man grabbed his hood. As he removed it, he said, "I am the man that will be seizing control of this entire village."

The hood was off. Madara looked at the group. The group was shocked. Not because he was unusually pale, but because he had the Sharingan.

"H-how?" Sakura asked, "I thought Itachi killed every last Uchiha!"

"You! What is your name?" Tsunade indignantly asked.

"My name, _Hokage_, is Madara Uchiha!" Madara fiercely exclaimed.

Tsunade gasped, "H-how? Y-you're supposed to be dead! And if you still were alive, you wouldn't look so youthful!"

"You're over fifty, yet you still look young," Madara replied.

"Shut it!" Tsunade indignantly exclaimed, "How _dare_ you show your face here in Konoha after what you have done!"

Madara stood there, staring at them.

Tsunade growled fiercely and ran forward. She punched at Madara's face, but Madara caught her fist before it connected with his face.

Tsunade was shocked, "How? That should've at the very least broken your entire hand!"

Madara swiftly twisted her wrist. Tsunade cried out in pain. Madara tossed her away like a child would toss a toy. Tsunade crashed into the wall of a nearby building, leaving a considerably large dent in the wall. She did not get up.

He moved a lock of his jet black hair out of his eye. "I just took down Konohagakure's leader. Anyone else?" he taunted.

The group was shocked. He had just defeated the Hokage like it was nothing!

Madara sensed their hopelessness.

"Very well. I will give you three options: One, you can die by my hand; two, you can try to kill me, fail miserably, and die by my hand; or three, you can run away and die by my hand. Now, which of these choices will you pick?" Madara offered them.

Neji stepped forward, activated his Byakugan, and took the Juuken fighting stance. Shino stepped forward. Lee, Guy, and Tenten stepped forward as well.

Madara saw Neji's eyes. The thoughts of that _traitor_ filled his head.

"You..." Madara said angrily, pointing to Neji, "You have the Hyuga's eyes!"

"So?" Neji responded.

"YOU HAVE HIZUKO'S EYES!!! YOU ARE RELATED TO HIM!!!" Madara screamed.

_Hizuko Hyuga? But he was my great-grandfather..._ Hinata thought.

Madara quickly charged forward and slammed his fist into Neji's gut. Neji spat up blood.

"Sakura! Hinata! Hanabi! You go hide somewhere!" Tenten yelled.

Sakura nodded, and lead Hinata and Hanabi to a nearby alleyway.

Madara delivered a powerful hook to Neji's face. He was about to roundhouse kick Neji in the face, but Guy shouted, "DYNAMIC ENTRY!" and jumped and kicked Madara in the face.

"That does it! I'm killing you all!" Madara yelled fiercely.

Tenten reached into a pouch and produced a scroll. She unfurled it and summoned a giant shuriken with it. It was attached to strings on her hands. She swung her arms towards Madara and the giant shuriken followed the path of her arms. Madara grabbed the giant shuriken and stopped all of its momentum with one hand.

"H-How is that possible?" Tenten asked, flabbergasted.

"You have _no_ idea who you're fighting with, do you? Only the Hokages know of my power. You are fighting with the man who killed the First Hokage!" Madara announced.

The entire group gasped in horror. How could they kill someone who _surpassed_ a Hokage?

Having said that, Madara squeezed the large shuriken and it cracked and crumbled into pieces.

"Tenten! Run! We will take care of him!" Lee yelled.

"But-!" Tenten yelled back.

"No buts! Just go!" Lee yelled.

Tenten reluctantly agreed and ran into the alleyway that Sakura, Hinata, and Hanabi were hiding in.

Lee quickly ran towards Madara and did several punches and kicks. All of them were blocked by Madara. Guy ran up from behind and did some punches and kicks. Madara switched his posistion and blocked all of Lee's attacks with his left arm and all of Guy's attacks with his right arm. Neji took this chance and ran forward, preparing to strike Madara's chakra points. He thrust his arm forward...

The result was so surprising, everyone stopped fighting for a moment. Madara had not even _seen_ Neji's attack coming, yet he had blocked Neji's attack with his left leg! Madara quickly reacted and formed some hand seals. The earth beneath Neji, Guy, and Lee rose and burst open with flames, knocking them away from Madara.

"You'll seriously have to try harder than that," Madara mocked them.

Lee clenched his fist, "Very well then!" he exclaimed. Lee slipped off the cloth around his legs and undid the weights around his legs. He dropped them, and they made rather large craters when they hit the ground. All of a sudden Lee disappeared. Madara stood there, unfazed by the young ninja's amazing speed. Guy watched from a distance, preparing to strike when Madara was too distracted, and Neji was still recovering from his earlier wound.

Lee was running at his incredible speed around Madara in circles, waiting for a chance to strike.

_Now!_ he thought. He leapt off of the ground and extended his leg, ready to kick Madara in the face from the side.

Madara did not turn his head. He lifted his right arm and grabbed Lee's leg inches before it connected with his face.

"You didn't try hard enough," Madara said coldly. He flung Lee into the ground, and then he threw him into another wall. He did not get up, either.

Guy was in shock. _How did he predict Lee's speed? Of course... the sharingan... I had forgotten about it..._ he thought.

Guy growled and pulled out some nunchaku. He twirled them around and did a karate yell.

"Okay, this is getting too ridiculous," Madara said. He quickly ran forward and slammed his elbow in Guy's face. While Guy cradled his face due to pain, Madara slammed the heel of his foot on his head, effectivally downing Guy.

Madara turned around to finish off Neji, but was surprised that Neji was already there. Even with the Sharingan, he was unable to react fast enough.

"Take this!" Neji roared, "Two palms!" he struck Madara twice, "Four Palms!" he struck him four times, "Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-two Palms! Sixty-four Palms!"

_Damn! He's disabled half of my chakra points... I have to retreat! Damn Hizuko and the Hyugas!_ Madara thought.

Neji gasped as Madara suddenly vanished. He did not sense Madara's chakra nearby, so he assumed Madara retreated.

"It's safe! He's gone..." Neji called out. Sakura, Hinata, Hanabi, and Tenten emerged from their hiding places.

"I'll heal them," Sakura said. The group nodded as Sakura healed them.

_Madara... who is he, and why does he hate the Hyugas...?_ Neji thought. He sighed in frusturation. He would just have to be patient, wait, and hopefully the answers would come to him.

* * *

"What happened? Where is that Otoshi guy?" Naruto asked. His head hurt pretty badly, and judging by everyone else's pained expressions on their faces, their heads hurt, too.

"I don't know how he escaped, but he did..." Shizune said.

"That's not important right now. As long as he stays away from us, we'll be fine. We need to find some survivors, and the Konoha Hospital is nearby," Kurenai said.

"She's right," Yamato agreed, "And there will most likely be survivors in the Konoha Hospital."

"Wherever there are humans, zombies will certainly find them," Sai said grimly.

"Well? Shall we be going?" Shikamaru asked.

The group started moving. They took some turns, and soon the Konoha Hospital was in front of them.

Kiba inhaled and then exhaled. "Let's go," he said.

They opened the doors and entered.

* * *

"This is it, Kenokami," Reiko said.

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?" Kenokami asked, "That came from nowhere."

"We are going to kill off all of the threats to our plan. We will no longer attack, and then retreat to this tower. We will not stop until all of those threats are dead," Reiko said, sudden determination in her eyes.

Kenokami nodded. "Right," he said.

Reiko pulled up the hood on her black robes that she wore now instead of her Akatsuki robes. The pair left the tower.

* * *

Sasuke stopped walking.

"Why did you stop _again?_" Karin asked.

"Itachi... he's not where we're heading anymore. He's going somewhere else... We have to turn back!" Sasuke ordered.

"What!?!" Suigetsu protested, "We walked all this way, only for you to tell us we're going back?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying..." Sasuke said.

"How exactly do you know he won't be there?" Karin asked.

"Just a hunch. But we're turning back no matter what _any_ of you say," Sasuke said.

"How about I just cut your head off, then?" Suigestu said, grabbing the hilt of Zabuza's sword.

Jugo stepped in front of Sasuke. He stared at Suigetsu and cracked his knuckles, "To kill him, you'll have to get through me first," he said.

"Stop it, you two," Sasuke said, "Suigetsu, wherever Itachi goes, Kisame is most likely to be with him."

"Okay, we're going wherever our leader tells us to go! If you want to protest, then speak and die!" Suigetsu exclaimed, suddenly agreeing with Sasuke.

Karin sighed and placed her palm on her forhead. Sasuke closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Let's... just go," Sasuke said. They turned around and began to walk.

* * *

Deidara and Tobi were flying on Deidara's clay birds. Deidara was scanning the ground below with the scope on his eye.

"Watcha lookin' for, Dei-Dei?" Tobi asked, using the nickname Deidara hated so much.

"Any signs pointing the way to Konohagakure, and the group led by Itachi's little brother that The Leader told us to watch out for," Deidara explained.

"That's cool," Tobi said, obviously not paying attention.

"If I'm going to tell you something, will you _at least_ pay attention?" Deidara growled at Tobi.

"Right," Tobi said, still not paying attention.

Deidara growled and reached into his clay pouch. His hand mouth made a very small blob of clay. He chucked it at Tobi. It hit his head, making a small explosion.

"Ow! Why are you so mean, Dei-Dei?" Tobi whimpered.

"Just be quiet and stop asking questions," Deidara barked.

"Suuuuuuure thing, Dei-Dei!" Tobi exclaimed.

Deidara mumbled something under his breath.


	10. Chapter 10: The Memories of Madara

The Necromancer, Chapter 10:

Madara stumbled around the village. That Hyuga kid's attack had wounded him more than he thought. He had to quickly find shelter and wait until his body repaired itself. It was regrettable, but if he was too hasty, it could lead to his death.

He found a building and entered it. His left side hurt like hell due to that damned Hyuga kid. His right leg hurt when he attempted to move it, so he just had to drag it along the ground. He quickly looked around the building. It was empty. Good. He closed the door.

He looked around and saw a rather comfortable-looking couch. He laid down on it and closed his eyes.

_Why are these memories from the past resurfacing?_ he thought, _They've kept resurfacing ever since I entered this village. I guess it's only natural..._

Madara ignored the memories before, but since he needed to rest, he decided to let the memories fully enter his mind.

* * *

_My wife opened the door. She was grinning. Her beautiful long black hair cascaded down her shoulders._

_"Yes?" I asked._

_"Hizuko sent you a letter!" she exclaimed, "It seems really important, too."_

_She handed me the letter._

_"See you later, honey!" she exclaimed as she left the room and closed the door._

_I opened the letter and read it. Hizuko certainly wrote it. His handwriting was atrocious._

_"Hey, Madara!_

_Hizuko here. Hashirama and his brother, Tobirama showed up at my clan's door today saying that we should officially unite and build a village. It makes sense, since we're all settled near the same area, right? Anyways, Hashirama has a kekkei genkai, too. He can unite the elements of earth and water to create wood, which would be a huge help building buildings! Heh, wood would help build buildings. Oh, I'm getting off track. The other clans around here agreed with his plan, and he's waiting to get the word of the Uchiha clan. He says once the village is built he'll hold a series of elections to see who gets to lead the village. Cool, no? Well, what are you waiting for? Let's help build this village!"_

_I grinned. Good old Hizuko Hyuga. He was a great friend, if not a bit goofy. Seemed like Hashirama didn't tell Hizuko about our friendly rivalry as leaders of the strongest clans. I found it quite funny that Hizuko had little knowledge of the Senju clan._

_I left the room and saw my lovely wife painting. She loved to paint, and she did it well._

_"Aimi?" I asked her._

_"Yes, sweetie?" she replied, still focused on the painting._

_"We need to have a meeting tonight. Hashirama and the other clans are going to build a village. We need to help, but I have to make sure the majority of the clan agrees to help build the village. I'm sure we'd be a large help," I told her._

_"Okay, I'll get on it after I'm done with this painting I've been working on for a week. I'm almost done!" she exclaimed._

_"I keep wanting to ask, but I also keep forgetting. What are you painting?" I asked her._

_"You," she said, "No looking until I'm done!"_

_I wasn't expecting that. She usually painted animals or other things. Never has she painted a person. I'm sure she would do well, though._

_"Okay then," I said. I went back into the room that Hizuko's letter was in. I expected most of the other Uchihas to agree with building a village. After all, I would agree and I am the leader (and the strongest) of the clan. So I began writing a response directed to Hashirama._

_

* * *

_

_It was time for the meeting. The other Uchihas had gathered in the next room. I had finished my speech. I entered the room with the crowd, cleared my throat, and spoke._

_"My fellow Uchihas, I have received a generous proposition today. Hashirama and Tobirama are uniting with the other clans around here to build a wondrous village. All of the clans have agreed, and he now asks us if we want to be a part of the village. All who wish to help, say "Aye!"" I spoke._

_Several ayes were heard. Everyone had agreed._

_"Very well then! I will give Hashirama our approval! Meeting adjourned!" I said. I went back into the room and sat down. The speech was short but sweet. It worked, too._

_"You sounded sooo powerful and... __**commanding**__ back there, honey," Aimi said seductively. Her voice was behind me and she began to massage my shoulders._

_"Thanks..." I sighed relaxingly, "So, I guess you're done with that painting, right?"_

_"Sure thing! Do you want to see it?" she asked._

_"Yes!" I exclaimed. This would be interesting._

_"Okay! I'll be right back!" she excitedly said. She rushed into the other room. She came back with a painting under her arms._

_"Close your eyes!" she exclaimed._

_I did so._

_"Okay... open them!" she exclaimed._

_I opened my eyes. I was literally speechless. My mouth moved but no words came from my mouth. It looked like I was looking in a mirror. That's how realistic it looked._

_"Well...?" she asked._

_"In...credible!" was all that managed to come out of my mouth._

_"I'm glad you like it!" she exclaimed, "I'll be making dinner now!"_

_She left the room, leaving the painting in my hands. The picture was me standing on a rocky field, the full moon shining down upon me. I was dressed in my usual black robe but with my red combat armor atop of it. I had the legendary Uchiha Masamune sword clutched in my hands, but it was not removed from its sheath. What really amazed me about this painting was my hair. It looked exactly like mine. Jet black and spiked a bit before descending straight down my back. The painting really was a masterpiece. I decided to hang it above my desk._

_I glanced at the letter upon the desk. Time to deliver it._

_

* * *

_

_After traveling for a few hours, I arrived at the Hyuga settlement. A Hyuga guard stepped in front of me._

_"State your name and your business here," he said._

_"C'mon, you know it's me, Madara," I said._

_He chuckled, "I know. Just having a little fun." He stepped aside, "Hizuko's relaxing near the forest."_

_"Thanks," I replied._

_I walked through the houses. Some Hyuga children were playing outside. The whole place was very peaceful. Soon I saw Hizuko near the border to the forest. He was leaning against a large rock, staring at the sky._

_"Hizuko?" I called._

_Hizuko quickly snapped his head towards my direction. His face looked serious, but as soon as he recognized me, he grinned. He moved a bang from his long black hair out of his eyes._

_"Hey Madara! So, did you decide?" he asked._

_"Almost all of the Uchihas agreed. Here's a letter I wrote saying that we will help. I would like you to deliver that to Hashirama," I said. I handed the letter to Hizuko._

_We then began to talk about normal things, but this question I wanted to ask Hizuko kept bugging me until I finally gave in and asked him._

_"Um... Since we are both the heads of our clans, it's obvious that we will be put up for election for leading the village. You will vote for me, right?" I asked Hizuko._

_Hizuko grinned, "Only if you vote for me," he replied._

_"Promise?" I asked._

_"I swear on the name of my entire clan," Hizuko said. We shook hands._

_"Oh! The time sure has passed a lot!" Hizuko said, noting it was now sunset. It was noon when we started to talk, "I need to be going. See ya!"_

_I waved goodbye to him and walked back to my house._

_

* * *

_

_A week or so had passed since the meeting I had with Hizuko. Hashirama had personally arrived at the Uchiha clan's settlement and said that the building of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, would begin today, along with the election for the village's leader, or Hokage._

_There were ten candidates for the title for Hokage. They were Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Hizuko Hyuga, Shigon Aburame, Shiko Nara, Inodo Yamanaka, Chouzu Akimichi, Ken Inuzuka, Azoro Hatake... I was chosen to represent the Uchiha clan in the Hokage election._

_Hashirama told the other clan leaders that the Hokage would be a wise ruler who would protect the village and its entire people with their very being. A wise and noble view, but being a benevolent leader wasn't my goal._

_I am kind to the Uchihas, but ever since Hashirama mentioned the building of a village and the elections of a ruler, these dark and evil images have entered my head. Images of me being the Hokage and ruling the village with an iron fist. Images of countless people bowing down to me, chanting my name. Those images disgusted me at first, but I have now grown to like them..._

_"Honey, it's time to go! We have to be at the area Hashirama told us to meet soon! All of the other Uchihas are ready!" Aimi exclaimed._

_"Sorry, I dozed off for a moment there. I'm coming," I told her._

_

* * *

_

_Never before have I seen a gathering of so many people. Hashirama's area of choice for the village was a large ring of relatively flat land surrounded by a massive forest on all sides except the north, where a large mountain stood, towering over everybody. Hashirama had formed a platform using his kekkei genkai that allowed him to form and control wood. Around this platform were thousands of people. These people were condensed to nine separate circles around the platform. I knew each clan was in a circle along with most of their belongings. The ninth circle was most likely people who lived elsewhere in the Fire Country and decided to move to this village._

_"Attention! May I have everyone's attention!" Hashirama yelled. His voice boomed throughout the area, and the mountain amplified his echo. Everyone went silent._

_"Now, we will need everyone's cooperation to build this village. I can form the buildings with my jutsu, but they will be crude, for I have not mastered my wood jutsus yet. We will need people to cut any protruding branches off and to overall smooth the structure. I will need people to paint the buildings and people to furnish the buildings. Each clan will have a separate district in the city, and there will be a district for ordinary citizens. We will have a hospital and a police force. We will have a school to teach children ninja skills. We will need a main building for the Hokage of the village, where they will do their work..." Hashirama spoke._

_"Honey!" Aimi scolded, shoving me._

_"...What?" I groggily asked._

_"You fell asleep! You missed most of his speech! He's done now!" she angrily said._

_"Good..." I mumbled. Thankfully, Aimi did not hear me._

_"When will the first election take place?" I asked Aimi._

_"Tonight. Each election will be held every three nights, starting tonight, until the Hokage is chosen. I'm so excited! The last election should be when the village is finished!" Aimi exclaimed._

_"Same here..." I said._

_

* * *

_

_Tonight was the first election night. Already a fourth of the buildings had been formed thanks to Hashirama's jutsu. I wondered if a month really was necessary to build this village. Everyone stood outside the recently formed village gates. The ten candidates for Hokage stood upon a platform Hashirama made with his jutsu._

_"Now, before we begin the first election, everyone must swear on their very being and this village that if they become Hokage, they will defend the village and all of its people at any cost," Hashirama said._

_I was a bit nervous. It was unlikely that I would be voted off in the first day, but the possibility still lingered._

_"Madara, do you swear to protect this village and its people at any cost if you are to become Hokage?" Hashirama asked me._

_"Huh?" I asked. I wasn't good at paying attention sometimes, "Yes. I swear," I lied._

_"Very well then. Most of you know who the clan leaders are, so I simply asked everyone to write who they voted for on a piece of paper and deliver it to Tobirama sometime today. The votes are in, and Tobirama has counted each and every one of them. Here are the results..." Hashirama said._

_There was a moment of silence. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest._

_"Shiko Nara has the least amount of votes. He is eliminated from the potential Hokage roster!" Tobirama exclaimed._

_"Thank goodness..." I heard Shiko sigh, He was next to me._

_"Thank goodness?" I asked him, confused._

_"Ruling over a village is too much responsibility for me..." he explained._

_

* * *

_

_Over the days, the elections became smaller and smaller. The people not in a specific founding clan were not allowed to vote in the third election. We had to deliver speeches from the second election onward. I was no brilliant writer. My speeches were short and simple, yet they got to the point. Unfortunately, they were not as grandiose as Hashirama's speeches. I began to worry if I could lose to this guy..._

_Anyways, it was the seventh election. The village was nearly completed now. I was amazed with the progression of building this large village. Hizuko, Tobirama, Hashirama, and I were the only candidates for Hokage left. Most of the clans were here for this election. We had made our speeches and now was the time for most of the clans to vote. My speeches had received much applause even though they were short and all lies. However, Hashirama's were far more popular than mine. I respected and hated Hashirama at the same time._

_I sat next to Hizuko._

_"Voted for me again, right?" I whispered._

_"Yes, voted for me?" Hizuko responded._

_"Of course," I whispered back._

_The suspension was killing me. Hizuko, Tobirama, Hashirama, and I were all very good candidates. This would be a close one._

_"There is a tie," the vote counter said._

_The audience started discussing. I dug my fingernails into the desk I was sitting in._

_"Tobirama and Hizuko are tied for the least amount of votes. Therefore, they are both eliminated," the vote counter said._

_Tobirama sighed in disappointment. Hizuko thrusted his palm to his forehead. With his free hand he slammed his fist on the table._

_"Dammit!" he swore._

_"Don't worry, I've heard some of your speeches. I'll implement some of your ideas when I'm Hokage," I told him._

_"Yeah, sure..." he said, not believing me. He stood up and quickly walked out of the building._

_What had I done that was so wrong?_

_

* * *

_

_This was it. The last election. Only the high-ranking members of each clan were here. Hashirama and I had delivered our speeches. Hashirama's speech was a record twenty minutes, while my speech was a record two minutes. There was a building ready for celebration of the Hokage chosen._

_The vote counter cleared his throat. The room went silent._

_I was more nervous than I ever was before in my life. I could feel the sweat on my forehead, and my heart was beating rapidly. __**Th-thump, Th-thump, Th-thump, Th-thump, Th-thump, Th-thump, Th-thump.**__ The clock making a loud __**tick**__ every second was nerve wracking and it amplified my anxiousness._

_"There is another tie," the vote counter said. The audience gasped in shock._

_What? How? How will this be decided? I thought. I looked over a Hashirama. He looked surprised. My feelings were very mixed for him. He was a good man, but if he became Hokage, I would hate him for eternity._

_"SILENCE!" the voter counter yelled. Everyone quieted down, "There were fifteen votes for Hashirama Senju and fifteen votes for Madara Uchiha. I have been told that Hizuko Hyuga is late and he is coming here as quickly as possible. He will have the deciding vote."_

_My arms were shaky, in fact, my entire body was shaky. I didn't know if Hizuko would've voted for me. I think I angered him somehow in the last election. I drummed my fingers on the desk, anxiously staring at the clock, then the door, and then the clock again. __**Th-thump-Th-thump-Th-thump-Th-thump-Th-thump-Th-thump-Th-thump-Th-thump-Th-thump-Th-thump-Th-thump-Th-thump.**_

_Five minutes passed. __**Thump-thump-Thump-thump-Thump-thump-Thump-thump-Thump-thump-Thump-thump-Thump-thump-Thump-thump-Thump-thump.**_

_Ten minutes until the clock struck nine P.M. __**Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump. **__The suspension was killing me. My arms were now very noticeably shaking. I could feel my left eye twitch. It was very unpleasant to feel this nervousness. It felt like the suspension was actually killing me from the inside._

_I heard the door open. I think I felt my heart stop beating for a moment._

_Hizuko walked in. "Sorry I'm late," he said, grinning._

_"The remaining candidates for Hokage are tied. You are to decide who the Hokage will be. Right here and right now," the vote counter said._

_"My vote for Hokage goes to..." Hizuko said, pausing for added effect._

_Here it comes. He will say, "Madara Uchiha!" and everything will be fine. I just got worried for nothing, I convinced myself._

_"...Hashirama Senju," Hizuko said._

_My body stopped moving. Those words echoed throughout my head. My jaw dropped. The audience erupted in applause while I just sat there, too stunned to move._

_"Good job," I heard Hashirama say. I saw him extend his hand so I could shake it. I slapped it away from me and I ran out of the building, slamming the door behind me._

_My wife was waiting outside for me._

_"How did it go?" she anxiously asked. I ignored her and kept running. I wish I would've said something, like "I love you," because that would be the last time I would ever hear her sweet voice._

_Hizuko would die tonight. I headed to the main Uchiha building. I entered and took the legendary Uchiha Masamune sword. I concealed it under my robes and left the building and headed towards the building where the Hokage celebration would take place._

_

* * *

_

_I entered the building and frantically searched for Hizuko. I soon found him standing in a corner, drinking some sake._

_"Oh, hey, Madara! That election sure was a close one, wasn't it?" he asked, grinning._

_"You promised you would vote for me," I said, staring at him._

_"Oh, that. Look, I can explain!" he said._

_"You. Promised," I said, activating my Sharingan._

_"Look, no need to get mad! The reason I voted for Hashirama was..." Hizuko began._

_"YOU PROMISED!!!" I screamed. I reached into my robe and unsheathed the Masamune. I stabbed Hizuko in the chest. He stared at me in disbelief. He mouthed the word, "Why?" I drug the blade upwards through his upper torso until it reached his neck. I twisted the blade and then moved my arm to the left, removing the blade from the neck. I then hacked away at his dying body. Blood covered me. I knew what vengeance was now. I could taste it. I could smell it. I could feel it. Vengeance was Hizuko's blood! The very sight of it excited me. I needed more vengeance!_

_I felt arms grab me by the shoulders and drag me out of the building. I didn't notice, I kept hacking at the air in front of me. It was only until I was thrown against a wall that my senses returned to me._

_Hashirama and Tobirama stood in front of me, looking disgusted._

_"How dare you do something like this, Madara..." Tobirama said._

_"You have two options, __**Madara**__," Hashirama, the Hokage, spat at me, saying my name with disgust, "You can be exiled from the village forever, or we will kill you. Choose now."_

_I couldn't believe it. My plans had failed! I wouldn't be able to control this country!_

_I laughed crazily, "I'll be exiled, you son of a bitch."_

_Hashirama said nothing and used his wood jutsu to bind my arms and legs. Tobirama picked me up. I saw Aimi crying. It was a shame she had to see me like this. I was carried all the way to the village gates and tossed out. Hashirama undid my wooden restraints._

_"If you enter this village, we __**will**__ kill you," Hashirama said, "Consider yourself lucky I let you live..."_

_What a FUCKING MORON! He let me live! I would become stronger than he could ever imagine and he and his village would DIE!_

_I ran away from the village. I had no idea where I was heading, and I didn't care._

_I truly regret publicly killing Hizuko to this very day. If I had hid the death, then perhaps I could see my wife again..._

_It's too late for that now. That was the last time I would ever see Aimi again._

_

* * *

_

_A few days had passed since I was exiled. I had found an abandoned cottage in the forest in relatively good condition, which was now my new home._

_I had racked my brain to find out how to destroy the village and kill Hashirama. My Sharingan had undergone a strange transformation yesterday. I decided that the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan was real, and not just a myth. If so, I could probably kill Hashirama, but if I were to attack the village, then Tobirama and the thousands of residents living there will attack me, which will most likely result in my death. Nobody living around here would ally with me..._

_Wait... nobody living..._

_The dead! The dead will have no choice __**but**__ to serve me!_

_I cannot make the dead perfect though. Most likely rigor mortiss will have set in, so..._

_Regardless, I must develop this jutsu._

_

* * *

_

_Three years have passed, and I have developed this jutsu that will resurrect the dead. It is not perfect, but I made it work enough. I call these risen dead '"zombies." They cannot move quickly at all, aren't very intelligent, and they can only growl or moan and such, but I can control them and give them basic commands. I made these "zombies" crave the flesh of the living. In a stroke of genius, I also made it so that this jutsu will spread through the blood of a zombie entering the body of a human or the saliva of a zombie! The jutsu is gaseous to spread quickly. Once the gas enters the body, it will condense into a liquid state and travel through the bloodstream to the brain. It will then kill the victim and alter the victim's brain while traveling through the body. The zombie cannot feel pain and most of their organs are unnecessary. They will live forever and never age or decay due to the immune system being empowered by the jutsu. They are invincible, but unfortunately destroying the brain can kill them, something I could not get around. Removing the head will only cripple a zombie. The eyes of a zombie turn completely white for some reason I have yet to understand. Oh well, I like it. The greatest part is that any memories and emotions a zombie had as a human are erased. They will not hesitate to attack their former comrades. I have created the perfect soldier: a soldier that does not need food, drink, rest; a soldier that cannot feel pain; and a soldier that does not kill, it recruits._

_I had practiced this jutsu on a small village I had found near here. All of its inhabitants were now my experiments. Unfortunately, I did not have enough zombies to take over Konoha... I needed to find a burial ground._

_I grinned sinisterly. Of course, I'll use my ancestors at the old settlement of the Uchihas._

_I headed to that area. Over the years I had learned most of my surrounding area, so I now knew were I used to live before Konohagakure was built._

_Soon I arrived. The buildings were abandoned. I walked around the buildings and saw a rather large gated area with tombstones jutting out of the ground. I opened the gate and stepped inside. I performed the necessary hand seals, and the yellow gas emerged from my hands and entered the ground. Soon the decaying hands of the deceased burst from the graves. (Coffins had not been invented yet, thank goodness.)_

_Now I had an army of around a hundred, not counting the village people. That would be another hundred. That would be good enough. I slipped on my red chestplate and my red shoulderpads._

_Yes, Konoha would fall into my hands!_

_

* * *

_

_I headed towards Konoha, the army of dead marching in front of and behind me. I can't risk being in the frontlines and getting killed by a ranged attack. Oddly enough, the stench of the dead did not bother me. Deliberately using innocent people and my dead ancestors as weapons didn't bother me, either. Something had happened to the Madara of the past, and he was gone forever. I could never be peaceful again. My heart had been permanently twisted and scarred by rage._

_After a while, the gates pf Konoha came into view. I telepathically commanded my army to storm the town. As they continued marching forward, I leapt onto a nearby tree and jumped into the foliage. From a very tall tree I looked down at the village below me. I saw my zombies attacking people and strange masked cloaked people, along with normal jonin and chunin, attacking them back. Must be the Konoha police force Hashirama mentioned. I grinned. They wouldn't figure out a zombie's only weakness. Now to put my other plan into action..._

_I leapt from branch to branch until I saw the building... The very building were __**Hizuko **__voted for Hashirama... The building that is the Hokage's office. I leapt on the top of the gate and then to a rooftop. I leapt from rooftop to rooftop until the building was in front of me._

_Perfect, my distraction had worked. There was nobody guarding the building. I leapt down and quickly and quietly entered the building._

_One of those cloaked and masked men was running towards the door. I quickly grabbed him, pulled out a tanto, and squeezed it against his neck. I let the body slump to the floor. I peered around a corner and saw nobody. A sign said that if you had business with the Hokage, then he should be on the second floor, in the room with the double doors. I grinned. Perfect. I ran up the stairs and looked around and saw the double doors._

_I turned the doorknob and quietly opened the door just so I could see what was happening in the other room. I peeked through the small crack and saw three of those masked men speaking to Hashirama._

_"...We are serious! These people aren't dying no matter what we are doing! They eat people, and the ones they eat rise up again as one of them!" A masked man said._

_"This can't be good if it is happening... Let's go! We have to protect the village!" Hashirama said._

_I had to act now! I threw open the door and unsheathed the legendary Uchiha Masamune and quickly and swiftly slit the throats of the three masked men._

_"What the-" Hashirama said. He then saw me, "Who the hell are you?"_

_I looked at him. I hated this man, and now was the time for his death._

_"You don't remember me, Hashirama?" I asked him, grinning wickedly._

_"M-Madara! How dare you show your face here!" Hashirama indignantly exclaimed._

_"I'm here to kill you and rightfully seize this village as my own!" I yelled._

_"Get over it! Hizuko voted for me! I won, fair and square! You're acting like a child!" Hashirama fiercely yelled back._

_"You don't get it, do you? You're a naïve man, aren't you. Things aren't always as they seem. If you had investigated further instead of just taking the very first thing as fact, you would've discovered that __**Hizuko and I promised to vote for each no matter what!" **__I said, hissing the last part._

_Hashirama clenched his teeth. He was obviously worried._

_"If you want to kill me, you'll have to catch me!" he unexpectedly yelled, jumping out of a window._

_"What the fuck? Get back here you son of a bitch!" I screamed at him. I jumped from the window and followed him. I must've followed him for hours. Never once did I consider heading back to see what was happening to my army. At that time, I was blinded by rage._

_Finally, Hashirama stopped. We were at a barren rocky area, a large cliff towering above us._

_"About time you stopped... why exactly did you lead me here, of all places?" I asked Hashirama._

_"If we were to fight in the village, it would most likely be destroyed, so I lead you here to protect the village," Hashirama stated, "All the way to the border of the Fire country and the Rice Field country."_

_"A bit paranoid, aren't we?" I sneered at him._

_"Quiet! I will kill you at this very spot! I will kill you to protect Konoha!" Hashirama fiercely roared._

_"Fool! You'll never understand the power of the Sharingan!" I yelled back, activating them._

_We were both at a distance from each other, so we both began forming hand seals. My Sharingan could not detect Hashirama's hand seals, for his wood jutsus were a kekkei genkai. Humungous roots burst from the ground and the cliff, tearing the very earth open, revealing a waterfall inside the cliff. I would've been scared if not for the jutsu I was about to use._

_I finished my hand seals. A huge explosion of flame burst from my position, tearing up the terrain even further. The explosion burnt up all of Hashirama's roots, but Hashirama reacted quickly enough to dodge it. I heard a whoosh behind me and ducked to see several kunai and shuriken pass over my head. I tried to get up, but Hashirama had used his wood jutsu to bind my legs to the ground. I quickly made a small flame that burned away the roots, and I rolled out of the way just before a giant pillar of wood, held by Hashirama, hit me._

_"So, using a weapon now? Two can play at that game," I said. I unsheathed the Masamune._

_"...Is that?" Hashirama asked fearfully._

_"Yes. It is the legendary Masamune sword of the Uchihas!" I exclaimed. I ran forward towards Hashirama. Hashirama swung his wood pillar at me, but I jumped on top of it and ran towards Hashirama. Hashirama had a surprised look on his face as he tried to shake me off of the pillar. I kept my footing and stabbed Hashirama in the chest._

_I grinned in victory, but much to my dismay, Hashirama poofed away, a log in his place. I pulled Masamune out of the log and looked around for Hashirama. He was not there._

_"Where the hell are you, coward?" I yelled._

_"Right here," I heard Hashirama say from behind me as he slammed his fist in the back of my head. I fell to the ground. I quickly rolled to the left just in time to avoid being stomped on by Hashirama's foot. I sprung up and kicked him in the chest, knocking him back. I didn't harm him, for he was wearing the same chestguard and shoulderpads as me, both being the armor of high-ranking Konoha clan leaders and Hokages. I pointed the blade of Masamune at Hashirama's neck._

_"Draw your blade," I commanded him._

_Hashirama did so. He unsheathed his katana and we begun exchanging blows. We blocked each other's slashes every time._

_"Why did... you spare me?" he asked, "You could've killed me right there!"_

_"That would take the fun out of things," I sadistically replied, "You see, I could kill you right now... I think I will..."_

_I leapt back and made a hand seal with one hand. Hashirama had a shocked expression on his face. One-handed hand seals were next to impossible._

_I finished the jutsu, and arcs of electricity surrounded the blade of Masamune. I charged at Hashirama and sliced vertically downwards. Hashirama instinctively held up his blade to defend and suddenly yelled in pain as the electricity from Masamune traveled through his blade and into his body. He dropped his katana and clutched the electrocuted arm. I punched him in the face as he was distracted and he fell to the ground. I pointed my blade at him._

_"Y-you toyed with me..." he shakily said._

_"Of course," I replied, grinning._

_"What are you waiting for? Kill me," he said._

_"Not yet, I want you to suffer," I sadistically said, "You see, you failed. I thought the job of Hokage was to protect the village and its people, __**no matter what**__. Look at you. You failed to kill me. Hell, you failed to __**harm**__ me. And while we are fighting, my soldiers are slowly taking over the village..."_

_Hashirama had a pained look on his face._

_"The people only voted you for Hokage simply because you built the buildings quickly with your kekkei genkai. Whoop-de-shit. Anybody can accomplish that with time. What they needed was me... a strong leader!" I continued._

_"You... wouldn't protect them at all..." Hashirama said._

_"Also, I could've killed you at the very beginning of our little fight..." I added, "Hizuko used to be my friend. I killed him. You know of Uchiha lore, correct?" I asked Hashirama. Hashirama gasped._

_"N-No way! It's just a myth!" Hashirama exclaimed._

_"That's what I thought, too. But it exists... I have the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan!" I exclaimed. I activated the Mangekyo Sharingan. Hashirama was obviously frightened now. I sheathed Masamune and picked him up by the collar of his robe._

_"The Mangekyo Sharingan gives me three extremely powerful new jutsu. I'll demonstrate all of them. First is Tsukiyomi, a very potent genjutsu. I'm sure you've heard of it in the Uchiha lore," I said, grinning sadistically._

_"No! You can't! Please!" Hashirama begged._

_I used Tsukiyomi on Hashirama. I sliced and cut him with Masamune for three days, which passed by as three seconds in the real world. Hashirama screamed in pain, sending birds in a distant forest flying away._

_"Now for the taijutsu Zentetsu," I said._

_I used Zentetsu, which sped me up to the point where everything else seemed to be going in slow motion. I delivered several punches and kicks to Hashirama. Once I was done, he was lying on the ground, bruised, with blood coming from his nose and mouth._

_"Is this all the __**Hokage**__ can do?" I yelled at nobody in particular. I kicked him in the chest while he was down._

_"Please... kill me..." he croaked._

_"Fine, then. I'll use the strongest fire ninjutsu, Amaterasu, the third Mangekyo Sharingan jutsu!" I triumphantly announced. I used Amaterasu and laughed in maniacal glee as Hashirama was engulfed in black flame. He writhed around like a pig, screaming loudly enough to wake the dead, the intensity and pitch of his scream increasing every second._

_Soon, all that was left of the great Hokage was small piles of ash that had scattered in the wind, and black flames that would not be extinguished until a week had passed._

_"It's over Madara," I heard a man say._

_I turned around, fearing what I would see._

_NO FUCKING WAY!_

_Tobirama stood there, hundreds of other ninja, most of them the cloaked masked men, standing alongside him._

_"How the fuck-!" I screamed at him._

_"We discovered your 'soldier's' weaknesses," Tobirama said, "Konoha is free of the walking dead, and soon this country will be free of Madara Uchiha."_

_"Yeah!?!" I said. I obviously sounded insane to them, "Well, see those black flames? __**That's all that remains of your precious Hokage!!!"**_

_The entire army of ninja opposing me gasped._

_Tobirama clenched his teeth and a fist._

_"MotherFUCKER!!!" he screamed at me. He ran forward with incredible speed and slammed his fist into my face. I couldn't fight back. I had exhausted all of my chakra against Hashirama. I'm such a fucking idiot! Tobirama kept delivering blows to me. He paused for a bit to catch his breath. I coughed up blood, and in an attempt to kill him, I unsheathed Masamune. I ignored the immense pain and shambled over to Tobirama._

_I actually thought I could kill him. I was pathetic. After getting the shit knocked out of me, I could barely grip the blade. I attempted to stab him, but the sound of a katana being unsheathed was heard, and I was shocked to see Masamune get sliced in two. He fucking destroyed Masamune!_

_I couldn't handle this. I blacked out and fell to the ground._

_"Let's leave," I heard Tobirama say._

_"But, sir, what about-?" I heard a man question._

_"No buts. We're leaving," Tobirama silenced the man. He sounded emotionally hurt. I did kill his brother, after all._

_They were fucking idiots like me. They let me live. They assumed I was dead._

_I closed my eyes. Several hours later, I had awoken and in rage, I had destroyed an entire forest. I am so fucking pathetic! I need power and I __**will **__obtain it!_

_

* * *

_

_I had discovered the perfect area to obtain my power! It was a peaceful island country called the Light Country. It had a small shinobi village known as Taiyogakure, or The Village Hidden Under the Sun. It was a very wealthy country, being an island with several ports. They receive and ship several goods. No doubt the country leader is very powerful and wealthy. Unfortunately, he suffered a fatal "accident" shortly after I arrived. I told the country that their leader was assassinated, and I had killed the assassin, using a random vagabond to play the role of the assassin, against his will. I then offered to lead the country and "protect" its people. They gladly agreed. Fools! I now had a luxurious mansion as my home, and a nice, roomy basement that would be perfect for performing experiments..._

_Several years had passed since my arrival, though. I had developed a jutsu that would let me outlive any human! All I needed was to take someone's soul, and my lifespan would be increased by twenty years! Also, the souls allow me to retain my youthful body from when I was eighteen. Therefore, people would fail to recognize me!_

_

* * *

_

_It was twenty-five years before now. I had developed several new jutsu! Including an improved zombie jutsu. I sensed an exceptional Uchiha had been born. I had to kidnap her and train her! I did so when she was three, drawing no attention to myself. I trained this "Reiko" to become as strong as me... hopefully she'll accept me when I reveal to her my true intentions..._

_

* * *

_

_Amazing. Reiko is five now, and she could easily kill a jonin. I think now is the time to reveal to her my true intentions..._

_

* * *

_

_She didn't accept my true intentions! Little bitch! I train her and this is how she repays me? I had to use my emergency plan now... She would tell the entire village if I did not use it. It was unfortunate, but I had to zombifiy everything and leave this country forever. She has no hope of killing me, and I think I have another plan to destroy Konoha that's definitely plausible..._

_The Kyuubi. One of the legendary Bijuu. I had met him before. He lives in the Fire Country. He did not attack me, for he has heard of what I have done._

_Now was the time to seek him out and convince him to help me..._

_

* * *

_

_It was twenty years until now. I sensed that another exceptional Uchiha had been born, however, this one was weaker than Reiko, and I decided not to bother with him, thinking that he would betray me like Reiko._

_I was such a fucking idiot. Itachi would've gladly helped me. He also has surpassed Reiko in power..._

_Although later he would discover me and request my help in destroying the Uchiha clan... he would not join me because he was merely following orders, but at least I got to wipe out most of the inferior Uchihas that disgraced my name._

_

* * *

_

_It was fifteen years until now. I had searched the Fire Country far and wide, and I believe this is where the Kyuubi resides. I was in front of an extremely large cave. This had to be where the Kyuubi lives. I entered._

_**"WHO DARE ENTERS MY LAIR!?!"**__ a powerful and booming voice yelled._

_"We meet again, Kyuubi. It is I, Madara Uchiha!" I yelled back._

_There was a pause._

_**"WHY HAVE YOU ARRIVED AGAIN?"**__ the Kyuubi asked._

_"I have a proposition to make..." I began._

_**"OH? YOU DARE TO MAKE A DEAL WITH ME?!?"**__ he yelled. He sounded angry. I better hurry up._

_"You'll get to kill thousands..." I said._

_**"THIS INTERESTS ME. CONTINUE,"**__ the Kyuubi replied._

_"You know of Konohagakure, correct?" I asked._

_**"OF COURSE,"**__ he replied, __**"WHAT OF IT?"**_

_"I want you to destroy it for me," I finished._

_**"WHAT DO I GET OUT OF THIS?"**__ he asked, only sounding slightly interested._

_"What do you want?" I asked._

_**"ONE HUNDRED HUMAN SACRIFICES EVERY WEEK,"**__ he demanded._

_"Very well. You have my word as the slayer of the First Hokage that your request will be fulfilled. If, and only if, you manage to destroy Konohagakure," I said._

_**"HA! THAT WILL BE NO PROBLEM! I WILL DESTROY THE VILLAGE TOMORROW!"**__ the Kyuubi said._

_"Thank you ever so much," I said. I left his cave._

_Perfect. Tomorrow I would rule over this country!_

_

* * *

_

_FUCK, FUCK, FUCK! My __**third**__ fucking plan to rule the fucking Fire Country failed!!! The blasted Fourth Hokage __**sealed the Kyuubi in a small child!**__ FUCK THEM ALL!!! That is IT! I will use the other bijuu to control the Fire Country, possibly the world! But I will need to find others to help me... other powerful criminals..._

_I'll go for the most famous one. Besides me, of course._

_

* * *

_

_I had traveled to the Rain Country. I had asked several people the whereabouts of the famous undefeatable rebel leader Pain. Most of them laughed at me, thinking I was joking or insane. Finally, I found one valuable information source._

_"He lives in this village. I suggest you be very cautious in that village. He does not like visitors," the man had told me._

_This village was in front of me now. It was very small, having only five buildings. I approached the largest building and knocked on the door. There was no reply. I opened the door and walked inside the house._

_It had a very basic layout. There was nothing special in this house. Suddenly several shuriken and kunai flew at me. I quickly ducked just in time._

_"Cease! I have come to offer you a very special position, Pain," I said._

_Suddenly Pain appeared before me. His eyes were very mystifying... the legendary Rinnegan. He was wearing the Rain Village headband, but it had a deep horizontal slash through the middle of the metal. It was quite impressive... the man was only fifteen and already he was leading a rebellion against his country._

_"And who might you be? This better be important," Pain said._

_"I am Madara Uchiha," I said. Pain gasped._

_"You are?" he asked me._

_"Yes, the one and only," I answered._

_"I'm all ears," Pain said._

_"I am forming an organization to control the world. I haven't made much of the details yet, for I am searching for powerful criminals first, but we will use the bijuu somehow to control the world. Being the most famous criminal ninja, I decided to seek you out first," I explained, "I've decided the organization should be called Akatsuki. Will you join and help me further establish this organization?"_

_"Definitely," Pain replied, "I've been waiting for a moment like this. My rebellion can only do so much here. I'd like to spread my power outside of this country as well..."_

_"You will be able to do so. We will have ten members. Enough to pose a threat, but not enough to cause an inner rebellion. Each of us will have a ring that is assigned to a specific finger, mainly for identity, but there will be others uses for these rings. Our dress will be a black cloak with a red inside. The outside of the cloak will have red clouds on it," I explained._

_Pain stopped me, "We'll further develop things when we have enough members. However, to show we no longer have ties to our village, we should make a gash across our headband, as I have done."_

_I nodded. I reached into my cloak and pulled out my headband. I took a kunai and made a deep gash across the leaf symbol. I then tied it around my neck._

_"Have you heard of the criminal Kakuzu?" Pain asked me._

_"No, I don't think so," I said._

_"We will find him. Let me tell you of some of his feats along the way..." Pain began._

_

* * *

_

_Pain and I were in front of the building Kakuzu supposedly resided in. We entered._

_There stood Kakuzu, counting money._

_"Who are you two and what the hell do you want?" he rudely asked, "I'm busy here."_

_"We're offering you a position in Akatsuki," Pain said._

_"Aka-what-ski?" Kakuzu replied._

_"It's an organization we are beginning. We are looking for powerful criminals. We will use the Bijuu for world domination!" I explained._

_Kakuzu yawned, "Not interested unless you pay me."_

_"Obtaining tons of money is required for our plan to succeed," Pain said._

_"...It is?" I asked Pain. He had not mentioned that before._

_"Since you didn't have a plan thought out, I thought of one on the way here," Pain explained, "Anyways, we will need tons of money to succeed, like I said. Interested?"_

_"Absolutely!" Kakuzu exclaimed with sudden enthusiasm._

_"I have picked out a base of operations for us..." Pain said, "Follow me."_

_We did so._

_

* * *

_

_Pain's base was an old cave in the River Country. It was there that I distributed the Akatsuki cloaks to Pain and Kakuzu, and it was there that Pain told us his incredible plan to rule the world. It was so complex for just a fifteen year old. Of course, I expected nothing less from the man who had rebeled against the country ruled by one of the strongest ninja alive, Hanzou, which he had killed._

_Pain's plan was three steps. Step one is for us to attain money. Step two is to create the first mercenary group. Shinobi villages make money for their country, and for the money to be steady it requires war. Because there have not been any large-scale wars in approximately the last decade, the ninja villages were being reduced in size. The Five Great Shinobi Villages could handle the downtrend, but the smaller villages could not. We will form our own fighting force with no country allegiance. With this force we will undercut all the other villages and fight their battles for cheap. Then using the bijuu we can create new battles and new wars and gain a monopoly over the whole market. In the end we plan to control all the wars and be powerful enough to even collapse the shinobi villages of the large countries, forcing them to rely on us as well. With all that in hand, we can achieve step three, world domination._

_I had a different idea, but this is much more thought out than mine. I had formed the ten rings. All we needed now was seven more members. Pain said he was already developing a jutsu that will allow us to seal the bijuu in a statue that he will create. I was impressed with the results. Now to wait until further things happen..._

_

* * *

_

_A month had passed. We had three more criminals in our organization: a man, or plant, I couldn't tell, named Zetsu, a man named Sasori, and a woman whose name was Konan. I had told Pain I needed to talk with him. We met outside our base._

_"You wanted to talk to me, Leader?" he asked._

_"Yes," I said, "You see, Pain. This isn't going as quickly as I thought it would go."_

_"Of course this won't go quickly. We have to seek out all nine bijuu and/or their jinchuuriki. That alone is no easy task. Plus we have to seal them in a specific order to prevent the King of Hell statue from collapsing under chakra imbalance," Pain began._

_"I know," I said, "I guess I'm too impatient. That's all. I'm afraid I must leave."_

_"W-What? You can't do that! How will we-" Pain began._

_"You'll do fine as the leader. What have I done, after all? All I have done is create the cloaks and the rings. I need to leave and be alone to perfect certain jutsu of mine. I will think of an alternate use of the bijuu, as well," I said. I removed the ring on my right thumb along with my Akatsuki cloak and handed them to Pain, "They are yours now. You are the leader of the Akatsuki. I __**will**__ return one day, though. You have my word. Goodbye..."_

_I started to walk away._

_"Thank you..." was all Pain said._

_

* * *

_

_Twelve years had passed since I left Akatsuki. I had perfected all of my jutsu. I have the ability to fully manipulate the dead in any way. I even developed new Mangekyo Sharingan techniques!_

_I heard that they had carved statues of Hashirama and I at the very place we fought several years ago, now known as the Valley of the End. I'll have to visit that place sometime._

_I have also heard stories of a "Necromancer." A powerful ninja who has joined Akatsuki. I am the actual Necromancer. I just can't picture anyone surpassing me in the art of death. It took me at least seventy years to perfect my jutsu! Some nameless hack can't surpass me!_

_What the fuck? I just swore I sensed my weakest zombie jutsu being used. How in the hell?_

_Wait._

_Reiko._

_What the fuck does she hope to accomplish by using my jutsu? Maybe it's to lure me there. I don't care. I want to see what happens to Konohagakure. After all, my zombie attack on Konoha sixty-or-so years ago was hidden from the public. All the public that survived through it had their memories erased. I don't see modern-day Konoha surviving a zombie invasion._

_Time to head to Konoha._

_

* * *

_

_Reiko definitely did this. She steals my title __**and**__ my jutsu! The nerve of that bitch! I'm in Konoha, which has apparently been overrun by the zombies. I am overjoyed to see Konoha __**finally**__ destroyed, but I am __**pissed**__ that I wasn't able to do it!_

_I've already thought of Reiko's punishment, and I sense her nearby..._

_

* * *

_

Madara sighed. He had forgotten some of those memories. Why did memories buried in his mind resurface now?

_Oh well,_ he thought, _Time to rest. That Hyuga kid will die the next time we meet._

Madara closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Kenokami stopped walking.

"Why did you stop?" Reiko said.

"I smell..." Kenokami began saying. He sniffed the air some more, "... perfume. Not any ordinary perfume. This smell very exquisite and expensive. I believe..." he paused some more and sniffed, "Yes... it's covering up the smell of old people. I've located the Hokage."

Reiko nodded.

_Let's see how they react when I seriously fight them..._ Reiko thought.


	11. Chapter 11: Findings, Battles, and Death

The Necromancer, Chapter 11:

Shizune's group stepped inside Konoha Hospital. The building was dark, light only shining from the windows that were spaced far apart from each other. Blood stained the walls. Furniture looked like a giant had tossed them around randomly.

"I don't like this place..." Kiba said, "I smell the rot of death all over the place. Excuse me."

Kiba ran out of the building. Akamaru whimpered. Kiba soon showed up again.

"What did you do?" Naruto asked, confused.

"I used a jutsu that disables my sense of smelling until I need to use it. We can proceed now..." Kiba explained.

They didn't smell anything... yet. But Kiba's sense of smell certainly meant something grim was in store for them...

They walked in the silent building. They were scared that something would jump out of nowhere and get one of them. A clock on the wall read 2:32 P.M. Its ticking echoed throughout the seemingly abandoned hospital.

"Where do we begin to look?" Shikamaru asked, "This is so troublesome..."

"It would be a bad idea to split up in this building... too easy to get lost and get... eaten..." Shizune said.

Naruto pointed at Shizune angrily, "Bad idea to split up _here?_ It was a bad idea to split up to _search the town!_ For all we know, Sakura and Granny Tsunade are dead and one of _them!_"

"It wasn't my idea to split up!" Shizune indignantly yelled back.

"C'mon! Stop fighting, you two," Yamato said, "We'll just search the building. Room by room. Sure, it's time-consuming, but if survivors are somewhere, they'd probably be here."

"Wait!" Shizune exclaimed, "If you were a survivor, which room in the hospital would you go to?"

"The room with the most supplies," Kurenai said.

"Exactly! We go there, and we'll find some survivors. They might be able to tell us if there are any other people in here!" Shizune exclaimed, "Follow me, I know where the room is!"

Shizune led them down a hallway that turned to another hallway with double doors at the end. Blood smeared the walls and the carpet and some of the doors were dented. They did not like the looks of this place.

Shizune stopped in front of the double doors. She knocked twice.

"Hello?" she fearfully asked, "Is anyone inside? We're human and we're here to help."

There was no answer.

"We should check anyways to see if someone was in here," Sai suggested.

Shizune nodded, turned the doorknob, and slowly opened the door.

A hand burst from the opening in the door and grabbed Shizune's arm! Shizune shrieked and pulled out a kunai and cut off the man's hand. It clung to her arm even after it was severed from the body. She pulled it off of her arm, disgusted. The group backed up as the doors were thrown open, ten or so zombies approaching them. Shizune quickly pulled up the sleeve on her robe and fired needles at the zombies. Her expert aim got perfect headshots on each zombie.

"Well, shall we enter? There could be a note of some sort inside," Shizune said.

The group entered the room. Like most other rooms in any house they've been in, the furniture was toppled over. This room was rather large. They saw a man in a corner with a sheet over his head. A kunai was in his right hand and his left hand had a deep vertical slit on his left arm. There was dried blood beneath him. The group began searching for any clue to where the survivors (if there were any) were.

"I found something!" Yamato exclaimed. The group went to where he was. He was clutching a note. Yamato cleared his throat and read it.

"'To any potential survivors that will read this:

The zombies found us in here. We are now in a more secure location. Well, the remainder of us. I'm sure if you read this, you'ld've already taken care of the ones that didn't make it...

Anyways, we're in the secret underground room. Its in the main lobby. A part underneath one of the desks slides away to reveal a button, leading to a safe area. I don't think any of the hospital staff knew of it...'" Yamato read.

The group went back in the lobby. Shizune searched under the desks and, sure enough, she found the button. She pressed it and part of the floor caved in a bit and slid underneath the rest of the floor, revealing a ladder leading down a dark chasm.

"Shall we go?" Shizune asked. The group went down the ladder. Once they all were underground, the entryway closed up. The only light was from the torches that lined the wall. They began walking down the path, the torches leading them.

"What is this place?" Naruto asked.

"Probably another secret passageway used to evacuate people to safety long ago. For some reason they were forgotten by most people. We have one in Lady Tsunade's office, but I thought that was the only one," Shizune said.

The path was a dead end.

"What!?! How do we get out! Was this a trap!?!" Naruto panicked.

"Calm down. I know what to do," Shizune said. She observed the stone wall blocking their path.

"See how unnatural it is compared to the walls?" Shizune asked.

Naruto looked at the walls, and then the wall in their path. The walls were rough and rocky, but the wall in their way was smooth.

Shizune thought for a bit. Shikamaru walked up and placed his hands on it. He tapped it.

"It's very thin," he said, "I think it slides."

Shikamaru pushed the wall to the left, and sure enough, it moved. The group walked into the new room. It was lit with dim lighting, but it worked. It had lots of furniture that an ordinary household would contain.

Shizune gasped, "This is the same room that the Hokage's office leads to!"

"Indeed," they heard a familiar voice said, "All of the secret tunnels lead here."

They turned towards the voice and saw the scarred face of Ibiki Morino, the psychological torture expert of Konoha.

"Some survivors found us!" he called out. Two parts of the wall in this room slid aside. A man and a woman stepped out of both rooms. They could see a room like the one they stood in now in those other rooms.

"I know you!" Naruto said, pointing to one of the men who stepped out, "You were the Chunin Exams announcer guy!"

"Yeah, I remember you to, Naruto Uzumaki," Genma Shiranui said.

"Introductions can wait. We need to discuss things," Ibiki said.

"You're such a bore," an attractive woman who appeared to be a civilian said. She had long fiery red hair.

Ibiki ignored her and they sat down on the many sofas or comfortable chairs that were throughout the room.

"I will begin. I was taking a morning stroll when Genma ran up to me, looking worried. He told me about the zombies. I didn't believe him at first, but I guess you can tell what happened. Anyways, we rounded up any survivors that we could. We searched nearly every building in the city. We decided on the hospital, because that would be a logical place to hide in. Some survivors cracked and left the building, one man killed himself, but the rest stayed. One fucker led the zombies in our room. You saw what happened there. That's when I remembered the emergency tunnel located in this building. That's what happened to us. Oh, I nearly forgot. The woman is Julia and the two medic-nins are twins. The man is Ken and the woman is Megumi," Ibiki explained.

The group talked to each other for a bit, and then Ibiki cleared his throat. That silenced everyone.

"Now, what happened to you?" he asked Shizune, "Where is Lady Tsunade? Is she... one of them?"

"Not to my knowledge," Shizune said, "We split up earlier to search the town. We said we would meet in front of the Administration Building by sundown."

"Didn't you hear me earlier? There's nobody left except us. We searched _every_ building," Ibiki said.

"...What!?!" Shizune exclaimed. The others in her group had similar shocked expressions.

"Most of the zombies are holed up in their houses, too unintelligent to figure out how to open the doors. _We_ are the _only_ humans left in this town," Ibiki said.

There was a disturbing silence as the information sunk in.

"Except for whomever Lady Tsunade's group has found, if they are still alive," he added.

_B-but... Hinata, Bushy Brow..._ Naruto thought, _They're okay, They have to be!_

"I never got to talk to Iruka. Fucking zombies..." Genma muttered.

Naruto heard this and his heart nearly stopped beating.

He had forgotten about Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei! Where is he?" Naruto frantically yelled. He demanded to know the information from Genma.

"I-I don't know! He could-" Genma began.

"I HAVE TO FIND HIM!" Naruto yelled. Tears flowed down his eyes.

"Naruto! It's too dangerous to go off on your own! It's too dangerous to even _look_ for Iruka as a group!" Kurenai urged Naruto.

Naruto ignored her. He ran towards the wall they had entered from. He slid open the secret door and climbed back up the ladder. He punched off the tiles blocking his path. He exited the hospital and ran to the Academy, where Iruka would've been teaching.

"Damnit! Get back here!" Ibiki swore, "C'mon! Let's go after him!"

"We don't know where he is!" Ken exclaimed.

"I'm an Inuzuka. I can smell him. He's going towards the Academy," Kiba said.

They chased after him. Naruto had already gained a huge start, though.

* * *

Sakura had finished healing all of the injured in the encounter with Madara.

"So... who exactly _was_ that Madara guy?" Sakura asked Tsunade.

"He... he was the head of the Uchiha clan when Konoha was founded. He also killed the First Hokage, and that is all that is known about him..." Tsunade said, "Konoha was founded nearly sixty years ago, and he was around thirty years old at that time. Even if he did use a jutsu like mine, there is no way that he would still have all of that power and dexterity at ninety. There has to be a catch."

"G-guys..." Tenten stammered, pointing behind them, "W-we have a problem..."

The group looked where Tenten was pointing, and saw Kenokami and Reiko.

"It's them! The Rogue Akatsuki!" Sakura exclaimed.

"We're here to kill all of you," Kenokami said. He unsheathed his oversized katana, "No more games." He sounded dead serious.

"You sure look strong..." Guy said, stepping forward, "C'mon, Lee, Neji, Tenten, let's defeat him!"

They charged towards Kenokami, who retreated into a nearby alleyway.

"The rest are yours!" he called out to the cloaked woman.

She nodded, and faced the others. Two swords dropped from each sleeve of her robe.

"Hinata! Hanabi! Go hide!" Shino commanded them.

"B-but!" Hinata began to protest.

"Do it! Now! This woman is extremely dangerous!" Shino urged them.

Hinata sighed, "Very well..." She took Hanabi and they ran off somewhere.

"It's futile that you tell her to hide... I'll find her and kill her..." the cloaked woman said.

"Quiet!" Shino silenced her as he sent out hordes of insects. The cloak seemed to lose the person inside of it just before the insects attacked it. The cloak then exploded.

"What!?!" Shino yelled.

_That was over half of my insects..._ he thought.

The cloaked woman appeared out of thin air behind Tsunade and Sakura. Tsunade sensed this and whirled around and slammed her fist into the woman's gut. The woman coughed. All of a sudden a chain burst out of the cloak and wrapped itself around Tsunade's hand!

"What the?!" she yelled. Tsunade tried to punch the woman with her free hand, only to find out that a chain bound it as well! Sakura ran forward to help Tsunade, but the cloaked woman raised one of her arms and pointed it at Sakura. The sword protruding from the sleeve suddenly burst out of the sleeve, propelled by a chain. It stabbed Sakura through the stomach.

"Sakura!!!" Shino called out.

The cloaked woman took her other arm and stabbed the sword into Tsunade's stomach. Tsunade grunted in pain.

Shino sent more of his insects out. This time they sneaked up from behind the woman. As soon as the insects began biting the woman, she exploded.

"WHAT!?!" Shino screamed. He didn't expect that!

_What have I done?_ he thought.

The small but potent explosion engulfed Tsunade, and the flames traveled across the chained sword that was currently in an unconscious and bleeding Sakura. Shino, thinking quickly, pulled out a small knife he carried with him and swung it down as hard as he could on the chain leading to Sakura. He successfully severed the chain, and he pulled the sword out of Sakura. He sat her up against a wall and used his remaining insects to drain the blood from the wound. Once the blood was drained, the insects secreted a liquid that sealed the wound. The insects went back into Shino.

_There. She's fine, but I hope Lady Tsunade is okay,_ he thought. He turned towards the site of the explosion. The smoke was clearing now, and Shino gasped.

There was a tattered, burning cloak on the ground, and Tsunade lay on the ground next to it, severely burned!

_No!_ he thought. He ran towards Tsunade and had his insects secrete a second liquid that cooled the burns. It was the best Shino could do until Sakura regained consciousness, which Shino hoped would happen soon.

The woman appeared out of thin air again. Shino saw the process clearly. It looked like she had _stepped_ out of thin air. The swords that were protruding from her sleeves were gone now.

"You will see that I am full of _many_ surprises," she said, "Like so," she removed her hood. The beauty of this woman awed Shino. She closed her eyes and reopened them. Shino gasped. She had the Sharingan!

"But the Uchihas were-" Shino began.

"All killed? Yes, they were, but what if one was kidnapped before the massacre? Against her will?" she said.

"I see..." Shino murmured.

Sakura began to stir. Shino faced the Uchiha woman, and took a fighting stance.

"I think I know _just_ the right way to eliminate you," she said. She suddenly opened the door of a nearby house and leapt onto its roof. Three zombies came out of the house, and they approached Shino, ignoring the closer Tsunade.

_She can control them like I control my insects,_ Shino grimly thought.

Shino sent out his insects. They bit holes into the zombies and entered through them. They traveled through the body to the brain, which the insects devoured. The zombies dropped dead.

"You'll have to try harder than that," Shino said. The woman laughed.

"What's so funny?" Shino demanded. She pointed towards the corpses. Shino looked and his heart nearly stopped.

His insects had emerged from the bodies and they were slowly approaching him! Shino commanded them to stop, but they didn't obey!

"You didn't think a strategist like me would allow this jutsu to affect only humans, right?" The Uchiha woman said, "I know how some clans have animal familiars here, so I made this jutsu affect animals as well! Your insects will now devour you!"

_So this jutsu does affect animals as well..._ Reiko thought. She had lied to the boy with the sunglasses on, _...Did my brother plan to attack this town?_

Shino's insects were now running up his body, biting and stinging. Shino winced in pain. He had no choice. He pulled out his knife and began cutting and stabbing each insect, carefully avoiding hurting himself.

"Shino? What's happening? Why-?" he heard Sakura ask. Shino had killed the final insect, but it was too late. He had bites and stings all over his skin.

"I'll heal you!" Sakura quickly said. She sprung to her feet and ran to Shino.

"Please... stop..." Shino said weakly, "You have to heal Lady Tsunade..." he pointed at Tsunade, "This woman... who made the zombie jutsu... also made it affect animals as well... I'm done for..."

"Stop talking like that!" Sakura yelled. She had tears in her eyes. She knew it was futile trying to save Shino.

"The woman is an Uchiha... she was kidnapped before the massacre... be careful..." Shino said. He sounded very weak and his skin was pale now, making the red blistered bites and stings all over his body more vivid and severe-looking, "I'm sorry... I couldn't help you... any further..."

Shino fell to the ground, face first.

"Shino?" Sakura fearfully asked. She put her hand on his neck and felt for a pulse. There wasn't one. Reiko watched this in amusement.

"No... no... NO!" she yelled. She didn't want another Kakashi to happen. She backed away from Shino, eventually stumbling over Tsunade. She saw Shino rise.

Shino turned towards her. His glasses had fallen off as he rose, revealing the pure white soulless eyes of the zombies.

"NO!!!" Sakura shrieked. Shino snarled as he approached Sakura. Suddenly a kunai burst through his forehead. Shino made a surprised-sounding grunt as he fell, dead once more. Hinata stood behind Shino, tears streaming down her face. She looked at his corpse.

"_What have I done?_" she shrieked, breaking down into tears. Sakura couldn't move. She could only shake in fear. Another one of their friends had fallen to that woman's jutsu!

The woman leapt from the roof. She approached Hinata, ignoring Sakura, who was in shock.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!!!" Hanabi yelled as she ran out of her hiding spot, Byakugan activated. She ran towards Reiko and struck her several times in just a few seconds. Reiko grunted and kneed Hanabi in the face, knocking her out.

The woman took a few shaky steps back.

"You've disabled me currently... but I'll be back!" the woman exclaimed as she "stepped" into thin air once more and vanished.

Sakura regained her senses. _I have to heal Tsunade!_ she thought. She began to heal Tsunade's wounds. Her mind was distant, though. Shino had healed her but she never got to thank him.

_Stop thinking about him. It'll only tear you up inside,_ she thought, _and his last request was to heal Lady Tsunade. Honor that._

* * *

Kenokami stopped running and turned to face his opponents: The odd man and the kid who looked like the odd man, the kid with the white eyes, and some chick. They didn't look dangerous, but Reiko assured him that the chick was the one who killed all of those zombies.

"This will be very, very fun..." Kenokami grinned, revealing his fangs.

Neji activated his Byakugan. Tenten pulled out some scrolls and backed away from the conflict. Guy and Lee took fighting stances.

"Just going to stand there? I'm waiting," Kenokami said. All emotions except seriousness had been drained from his voice.

Neji, Lee, and Guy ran forward. Kenokami swung his huge sword horizontally. Guy and Lee hit the ground to dodge it, but Neji leapt over the blade and landed right next to Kenokami. Right before Neji struck Kenokami with one of his hands, Kenokami grabbed his closest wrist and twisted it. An audible crack was heard as Neji stopped to cradle his hurt wrist. Kenokami grabbed Neji by the hair and threw him towards Tenten. Tenten gasped and ran near the wall of a nearby building as Neji flew past her. Neji hit the ground and skipped across it like a stone thrown across a pond. He finally stopped moving when he hit a building at the exit of the alley. Tenten went to help him.

Kenokami sheathed his oversized katana.

"I won't even need to use this," he said.

Lee and Guy suddenly sprung up from their positions on the ground and they both leaped at Kenokami with a leg extended, ready to kick him. Kenokami yawned and ducked. Guy and Lee sailed harmlessly over his head. He got back up and turned to face them.

"Is that all you have? Just some fuckshit taijutsu that does jack balls?" Kenokami swore, "Show me what you can _really_ do!"

"Very well, shall we show him, Lee?" Guy asked Lee.

"Sure thing, Guy-sensei!" Lee exclaimed.

"Yes, let us show him the power of YOUTH!" Guy exclaimed, grinning and giving a thumbs-up. Even though a cloud currently blotted out the sun, his teeth still glimmered in the sun.

Lee and Guy simultaneously reached into the orange cloth around their legs and pulled out the training weights the cloth concealed. They dropped them, and the weights made rather large craters in the ground. They each unleashed the first gate, but they did not announce it to Kenokami.

Kenokami grinned, "That's what I want to see!"

Lee and Guy suddenly vanished.

Kenokami looked around. Even with his senses of smell and hearing amplified by the Five-Tailed Wolf, he still couldn't smell or hear them.

A foot suddenly appeared in front of Kenokami and kicked him in the face. Kenokami clutched the impact point.

"What the fuck?" he swore. The foot wasn't there anymore. There were no traces of anyone. Kenokami glanced over where that kid with the white eyes landed. That girl was using some medicine in an attempt to heal his wounds. That amused Kenokami. Medicine can't heal a broken wrist.

A fist to the back of the head interrupted Kenokami's thought.

_Right. Those fast fuckwads. I need to stop forgetting things,_ he thought.

All of a sudden he saw that Lee kid right below him.

"What the fu-" Kenokami began, but the words literally died in his throat when Lee kicked him in the throat, launching Kenokami in the air. Lee jumped up and Kenokami could feel Lee behind him as he began to wrap the bandages on his arm around Kenokami's body. Lee began to spin around and around at high speeds. Kenokami could only see a blur of spinning color. His head was then slammed against the ground, and Lee undid the bandages and leapt away before he was harmed. Guy was standing on a nearby roof, watching Lee.

"Excellent use of the Front Lotus, Lee! You can take him out!" Guy exclaimed, doing the "Nice Guy Pose."

"Thank you Guy-sensei!" Lee exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air. Kenokami, who had gotten up rather quickly, suddenly slammed Lee against a wall.

"That fucking hurt," Kenokami said as he slammed Lee's head against the wall three more times.

"HOW _DARE_ YOU HURT LEE!" Guy screamed in fury. He opened the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth gates. An aura of chakra surrounded him and his skin turned a reddish color. Guy ran towards Kenokami and leapt up a bit into the air, arms stretched out horizontally one leg prepared to kick. With that leg, he kicked Kenokami high into the air. Guy jumped up and struck him multiple times, creating a fan of fire behind Kenokami in the style of a peacock's extended tail feathers.

"MORNING PEACOCK!" Guy yelled as he delivered one final kick to Kenokami. A kick to the head that sent him falling down back to earth. Kenokami landed, making a large crater, and Guy landed on his feet. The gates wore off, and Guy ran over to Lee, who was face down. Guy turned over Lee, and he began to cry.

"Oh, Lee..." he cried. Lee had a broken nose and blood was running from the nostrils. Neji and Tenten walked over to Guy. Neji's hand was backwards and there was a bandage around his wrist. He was holding his broken wrist with his other hand. Tenten wiped the blood off of Lee's face with a cloth.

"Lady Tsunade should be able to heal Lee's nose and Neji's wrist," Tenten said. She looked over at Kenokami, "Look out!" she warned. Tenten ran away while Neji and Guy barely dodged Kenokami's largest sword, which now had a chain coming from the bottom.

"When I need to, I just pop open the bottom part of the blade's massive grip, which has a chain inside. Then I have a flail-blade," Kenokami explained for no certain reason as he pulled his sword back with the chain.

Tenten pulled out a scroll and unfurled it. She leapt into the air and made the scroll spiral down her body. Tons of various weapons suddenly appeared, attached to her fingers by strings. She flung them all at Kenokami, who was punctured by most of them. She expected Kenokami to fall over, dead, but he continued to stand there.

"OW!" he yelled, "Get these _out of me!_"

Tenten was dumbfounded. She tried to remove the weapons by swinging her arms around, but that made Kenokami fly into walls and smack the ground.

"You BITCH!" he yelled, "GET THESE THINGS OUTTA ME!!!"

Tenten swung her arms even more. The weapons were stuck in Kenokami. He flew around smacking into things until he finally managed to plant his feet on the ground. He angrily yanked the weapons out of him and tossed them aside. The group stared in horror as they saw the wounds close! He threw the last weapon he yanked out of him, a katana, at Tenten. It hit her square in the chest. Kenokami then turned to face Neji, Guy, and Lee.

"Kenokami, we have to retreat!" Reiko said. She was on a rooftop.

"WHAT!?!" Kenokami indignantly screamed, "But-"

"NOW!" Reiko commanded.

Kenokami looked at Team Guy, then at Reiko, then at Team Guy again. He growled angrily, flipped Team Guy off with his left hand, the ring on his left middle finger shimmering in the sunlight, and he leapt up on the roof that Reiko was on, and they ran off together.

"Quick! We have to go back to where Lady Tsunade is!" Guy urged Neji.

Neji nodded. He carried the unconscious Tenten with one arm and ran back to Tsunade, Guy following him, carrying the unconscious Lee.

* * *

When Neji and Guy arrived back to where Tsunade, Sakura, Hinata, Hanabi, and Shino were located, they saw a sheet covering something on the ground. Hanabi and Hinata were crying, and Sakura and Tsunade had pained expressions and they were staring at the ground.

Guy didn't see Shino. Then it hit him.

Shino was under that sheet.

"What happened?" Neji asked.

"He's dead," Sakura said very quietly.

"What?" Neji asked, "Speak up!"

"He's dead," Sakura repeated with the same volume.

"She's in shock right now. The same with Hinata and Hanabi. Shino is dead. Sakura told me that he attacked some zombies with his insects, which turned into zombies themselves. This worries me that animals can be affected by this jutsu as well... I'm sure you can figure out what happened," Tsunade explained.

Guy and Neji laid down Lee and Tenten.

"Lee has a broken nose, Tenten was stabbed through the chest, and Neji has a broken wrist," Guy said.

Tsunade healed them, looking repulsed at Neji's backwards hand. Neji yelled in pain as the healing chakra forcefully turned his wrist back around, and then it soothed the pain. As Lee and Tenten came to, Tsunade explained what had happened. Lee was saddened and Tenten began to cry.

Guy however, walked into a nearby building he seemingly recognized and came out with some shovels. He handed some to Neji, Tsunade, and Lee. The others were to busy crying. Guy pulled off the sheet covering Shino. They buried him under a nearby large tree where many cicadas were currently "singing." Perhaps they were mourning for the death of their human friend.

* * *

Naruto arrived at the entrance to the Academy. What he saw shocked him.

Children, age ten or eleven, were around the Academy. Few were nothing more than puddles of blood and organs, most of them were zombies. And now that a human had arrived, they all eerily turned towards Naruto, their soulless white eyes penetrating his mind. They all moaned and shambled towards Naruto.

Naruto felt tears fall down his cheeks.

_What kind of heartless bastard could make this affect children as well?_ he thought.

He bit his lip. He tasted blood. He shakily reached into his ninja tool pouch and threw an explosive tag. It exploded and scattered the zombie children. Naruto ran through the cleared path and threw open the door to the Academy.

Two children eating the corpse of a fellow classmate were the first thing Naruto saw. They looked towards him, flesh and blood hanging from their mouths. Naruto ignored them and tried not to throw up as he headed towards Iruka's classroom.

He turned the corner and saw the door leading to Iruka's classroom. It was the furthest door on the left side of the hallway. A little boy with scruffy black hair whose clothes were caked in dirt and dried blood snarled as he approached to bite Naruto. Naruto punched the kid in the face and continued running. A girl with a brown ponytail and bloodied clothing stood in the middle of the hallway. Naruto swore he saw her playing in the park the other day, having a wonderful time. She was now a soulless husk programmed by an evil jutsu to eat humans and spread the jutsu to them. She moaned and grabbed Naruto's leg. The sudden lurch got Naruto off guard. The girl bit into his leg.

Naruto felt his heart stop beating. His skin suddenly turned ghost-white.

_No! I'm going to become one of them!_ he thought. He began to cry again. He slammed his fist into the girl's face, which sent her flying back. She appeared only to have cloth in her mouth. He examined where she bit him and only saw that she had ripped his pants. He sighed in relief and quickly entered Iruka's classroom, closing the sliding door behind him so that girl and that boy wouldn't enter. There were no zombies in here, but this sight was just as horrible.

Naruto dropped to his knees and began to bawl. He dared not close his eyes, though. Iruka lay against the wall, the chalkboard above his head. He had several sword wounds, and blood was pouring from them. He seemed very weak. Standing opposite him was Otoshi, one bloodied sword drawn. A single drop of Iruka's blood fell from the blade.

"Why? WHY THE FUCK DID YOU ATTACK HIM?!?!?!" Naruto shrieked in anger and sadness. The tears were now pouring out of his eyes, "WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU!?!"

"I came here to rape some zombie children, and he wouldn't let me!" Otoshi indignantly answered. Naruto was taken aback by his answer _What kind of sick fuck is he?_ Iruka even stared at the man, disgusted.

"Oh come on! You believed me? I'm sick, but not _that_ sick! I attacked him because I felt like killing somebody! He was the closest _living_ person, so..." Otoshi said, but he never got to finish.

"I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!" Naruto shrieked. He formed a Rasengan _without the aid of a Shadow Clone_ and ran towards Otoshi. He thrust the orb of spinning death at Otoshi, who stepped to the right _just_ a little, successfully dodging it. Naruto growled and continued thrusting it at Otoshi, who stepped away to dodge it _just_ in the nick of time.

"Come on! I'm fucking _blind_ and you can't hit me!" Otoshi mocked Naruto.

"NARUTO!" he heard Shizune scream as she entered the room.

"Fuck!" Otoshi swore, "I'm not dealing with all of you! See ya!"

He suddenly turned into an orb of blackness and he flew through a wall, away from Naruto. The Rasengan died in his hands. He ran to Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei! IRUKA-SENSEI!" he screamed.

"Naruto... it's a shame we couldn't have eaten ramen today, huh?" he asked. His breathing was troubled and he was very pale.

"Shizune can heal you! She can heal you!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I'm afraid I've lost too much blood. Naruto... I am proud of you. You were the son I never had. I am so proud..." Iruka said. He then groaned as his back arched. He remained that way for a few seconds, face fixated in a shocked look, and then his body relaxed. Forever. Iruka fell into the pool of his own blood.

Naruto was speechless. Tears flowed from his eyes, mixing with Iruka's blood.

"_IRUKA-SENSEI!!!!!_" Naruto screamed. He began to sob very loudly.

"Let's leave..." Shizune said.

"_NO!!! I'M STAYING WITH IRUKA-SENSEI AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO MAKE ME LEAVE!_" Naruto screamed at Shizune.

"We need to find Tsunade to tell her there's nobody left!" Shizune yelled back at Naruto.

"_FUCK HER!!! IRUKA-SENSEI WAS LIKE MY FATHER! HE'S DEAD NOW! I'M NEVER LEAVING HIM!"_ Naruto shrieked.

Shikamaru walked in the room.

"I'll deal with him," he said as he walked passed Shizune.

He walked up to Naruto and did something unexpected:

He punched Naruto as hard as he could across the face. Naruto spat up a small amount of blood.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU-" Naruto began, but he was silenced by the louder Shikamaru.

"_DO YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS HAD LOSSES?_" Shikamaru screamed at Naruto, "_OTHER PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR __**ENTIRE**__ FAMILIES! I'VE LOST MY MOTHER __**AND**__ MY FATHER!!! WE HAD TO FUCKING __**KILL**__ CHILDREN WE KNEW!!! ALSO, THINK OF THOSE ZOMBIES! BEFORE THEY TURNED, THEY MOST LIKELY HAD TO SUFFER FROM THEIR FRIENDS AND THEIR FAMILY __**EATING**__ THEM!!! THINK OF SOMEONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF YOU SELFISH FUCK!!! SITTING THERE MOPING WON'T DO JACK SHIT EITHER!!! YOU'RE COMING WITH US SO WE CAN __**MAYBE**__ FIND A CURE TO THIS OR SOMETHING!!!"_

The group was silenced by Shikamaru's sudden outburst.

"I'm... s-sorry..." Naruto said weakly.

"Whatever," Shikamaru said, not caring. He was obviously pissed at Naruto.

Naruto and the others left the Academy.


	12. Chapter 12: Another One Falls

The Necromancer, Chapter 12:

Kenokami and Reiko entered their Observatory. Reiko sat down on the bed. Kenokami glared at her.

"What!?!" Reiko asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I thought you said that we wouldn't quit until our enemies were dead..." he complained.

Reiko stared at the floor.

"I was wounded by the Byakugan... you know of it, right? It attacks your chakra points..." Reiko said.

"That isn't the real reason you retreated. Spit it out!" Kenokami demanded.

"I'm sorry... I'm just worried about dying. I don't want to die. Also, I'm having second thoughts about getting revenge on those who have had a good childhood..." she said, "I'm also worried about you, Kenokami."

Kenokami sat next to Reiko, "It's okay. I said I would protect you no matter what. Also... I appreciate that you care about me. And unfortunately, it's too late to turn back. We've already made hostilities in this area. They couldn't possibly understand, anyways... They deserve to die..." he said.

"But... maybe they are beginning to _understand_ due to what we have done.... They probably hate us now... What if we need them to help us defeat Madara?" Reiko asked.

"I have the Five-Tailed Wolf. I can defeat Madara," Kenokami assured Reiko.

"You're real sweet, you know?" Reiko asked Kenokami. She smiled.

_She has a beautiful smile,_ Kenokami thought.

"Uhm... well..." Kenokami said, blushing.

Reiko hugged Kenokami tightly and whispered into his ear, "I love you, too."

Kenokami was speechless for a moment.

_FUCK YEAH! SHE LOVES ME!_ he thought.

Kenokami said nothing, and hugged her tightly.

"I still don't know if what we're doing is right..." Reiko said.

"Well, whatever you decide to do, I will follow it. Your word is my will," Kenokami said.

Kenokami suddenly kissed Reiko. Reiko was surprised at first, but then she relaxed and kissed him back. Kenokami and Reiko's tongues danced with each other inside their mouths. They kissed each other for fifteen minutes, but it seemed like hours to them. When they finally stopped, Reiko hugged Kenokami once more.

"I still need to wait for my chakra points to heal," she said, "Also... I'm awfully tired..."

"I understand," Kenokami said, "I'm tired, too."

The two lay down in the same bed. They embraced each other and fell asleep.

* * *

Deidara used his scope to spy on the Earth below them.

"I'm bored..." Tobi whined, "You see anything yet, Dei-Dei?"

"Stop. Calling. Me. That. HMM!" Deidara firmly stated.

"You didn't answer my question, Dei-Dei," Tobi said, ignoring Deidara.

"No.... I _haven't seen anything! Just like I haven't seen anything the past seventy-three times, yeah!!!"_ Deidara yelled at Tobi, extremely pissed off.

"Who're they?" Tobi asked, ignoring Deidara and pointing below them.

Deidara zoomed in on the four people Tobi pointed to.

"Well I'll be damned..." Deidara said, "Good work, Tobi."

"Is Tobi..." Tobi began, clapping his hands in excitement.

Deidara sighed, "Yes... Tobi is a good boy..."

"YAAAAAAAY!!!" Tobi gleefully exclaimed.

Deidara directed his clay birds to land near the four people. The birds landed in a forested area, a path to a clearing in the forest where the four people were. The two Akatsuki members landed and got off of the birds. They then walked into the clearing in the forest. The four people were facing them, ready to attack, before they even said anything _or_ revealed their presence.

The four people consisted of a strong, tall man with spikey red hair; a girl wearing glasses with red hair; a man with long light blue hair and a very large sword; and the leader of the group, the man who took Deidara's kill of Orochimaru away from him, Sasuke Uchiha.

"Wait before you attack until I tell you to strike," Sasuke commanded his teammates, who immediately relaxed from their battle positions.

"Who are you two?" Sasuke asked them. He did not seem to be taking Deidara and Tobi seriously. Perhaps because Tobi was chasing butterflies, unaware to Deidara.

"I am Deidara, yeah, and my partner is..." Deidara began. He turned to face Tobi, and did not see him there. Deidara scowled as he looked around for Tobi. He saw him chasing around a butterfly, giggling like a little boy.

"TOBI!!! GET THE FUCK OVER HERE, HMM!" Deidara yelled at Tobi.

"Suuuuuuure thing, Dei-Dei!" Tobi exclaimed as he skipped over to Deidara. Sasuke's teammates chuckled. Deidara looked like he was ready to rip Tobi's head off.

Suigetsu and Karin snickered.

"While my partner isn't very serious, he will take on the three of you, yeah," Deidara said, "and you have no say in the matter, hmm!"

"Very well, then," Sasuke said, "Karin, Suigetsu, Jugo. Defeat his little partner there. I'll take care of him."

"Yes, sir!" they said. They turned towards Tobi.

Tobi stared at them.

"EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" he squealed as he ran away. Suigetsu, Jugo, and Karin pursued them. Deidara glared at Tobi as he ran off.

Sasuke unsheathed his Kusanagi sword and activated his Sharingan.

"Why exactly are you here?" Sasuke asked cautiously.

"Our Leader told us to go to Konoha, and he also told us to attack your little team if we happened to see you along the way, yeah..." Deidara answered, "Plus, you killed Orochimaru. He was mine to kill, yeah!"

Sasuke dashed towards Deidara and tried to stab him with his sword. Deidara suddenly wasn't there.

"I'll test you to see if you're as strong as they say you are, yeah," Deidara said, reaching into his pouch of explosive clay, "First I will use my C1 chakra bombs on you..."

Deidara shot five clay spiders at Sasuke.

_This guy is _way _too overconfident. He already announced that these were bombs..._ Sasuke thought as he leapt out of the way. The spiders exploded making small craters in the ground.

_Just where is he...?_ Sasuke thought, scanning the area with his Sharingan.

"Not bad... but can you dodge my C2 bombs, hmm?" Deidara asked. Sasuke followed his voice and saw Deidara in the air sitting on a clay bird. Sasuke made some hand seals and fired Chidori beams at Deidara, who swerved out of the way to dodge them.

"How about you stop hiding in the air?" Sasuke asked, hoping to piss off Deidara enough so that he would come down.

"I think I'll stay up here, yeah," Deidara said as he finished sculpting a large dragon. He threw the dragon at Sasuke. The dragon shot several spheres out of its tail that flew into the ground, but they didn't explode. The dragon itself then charged at Sasuke, making a large explosion. Deidara grinned, thinking that he had killed Sasuke, but he frowned when the smoke cleared and Sasuke was standing a few yards away from the explosion, completely unharmed.

"Too bad, yeah," Deidara said, "Those spheres the dragon shot out? Landmines, yeah."

Sasuke gasped as he surveyed the ground. He had no idea where the spheres had imbedded themselves in the ground!

"And while you're busy deciding where not to step, I'll throw some more C1 bombs, yeah," Deidara said, mocking Sasuke.

_Dammit! He's toying with me! I didn't want to use this so early, but I guess I must..._ Sasuke thought as he tapped into the power of Orochimaru's curse seal.

Deidara frowned as Sasuke suddenly vanished. He followed his trail with the scope on his left eye as fast as he could, but it was not enough to keep up. Deidara did figure out that Sasuke was going to strike him from the back. Deidara spun around just in time to see Sasuke's sword enter his chest. Sasuke now had gray skin, long white hair, and odd wings that looked like the hands of a demon.

"...Orochimaru's power..." Deidara growled as he threw an orb of clay at Sasuke. The orb exploded and knocked Sasuke to the ground. Deidara pulled the sword out of his chest and tossed it aside. The pain hurt, but the wound wasn't too deep, so if he ignored it, he would be fine.

Sasuke landed on one of the mines, which exploded, setting off the other mines in a chain reaction. Deidara grinned as he saw Sasuke get engulfed by the explosion, yet Deidara felt that Sasuke was disappointing. Sasuke hadn't even defeated Deidara, and Itachi had defeated Deidara in the past quicker than this! And Sasuke thinks he can kill Itachi? It was laughable!

Sasuke suddenly shot out of the smoke with a Chidori formed in his hands. With it, he ripped through Deidara's clay bird. Deidara fell to the ground, and he luckily landed on his feet, but the land made an unnerving snapping sound in his legs. They probably just got broken... and with Kakuzu dead... this would take a while to heal.

Deidara growled in anger. He was useless without his legs! He was a sitting duck! Well, a sitting duck that possessed massive explosive devices, but a sitting duck nonetheless. Sasuke didn't see him yet, maybe if he feigned death, Sasuke would think that he was dead...

Deidara lay perfectly still, and he held his breath as Sasuke approached. He was no longer using the curse seal's power. Sasuke eyed Deidara suspiciously. After a few seconds that seemed like forever to Deidara, Sasuke left to search for his teammates who had chased after Tobi.

When Deidara saw Sasuke leave, he sighed a large sigh of relief. Now he had to hope Tobi was still alive and that he would stumble across him...

* * *

Tobi glanced behind him. The scary people were still chasing him.

"EEEEEEEE!!!!" Tobi squealed.

"Okay, shut the hell up!" Suigetsu yelled angrily. None of the three could catch up with Tobi. He was just too fast.

All of a sudden Sasuke leapt out from the foliage, sword drawn, and he tackled Tobi to the ground, sword aiming at his neck.

"Your partner is dead. Now tell me where Itachi is, NOW!" Sasuke demanded.

Tobi's little heart broke at the news of Deidara's death. Tears welled up in his eye. He respected Dei-Dei so much!

"Weasel and Fishy are heading to Konoha, Scary Man..." Tobi said sadly. Sasuke stared at him oddly, and then he sheathed his blade and turned to his teammates.

"C'mon. Let's go," he commanded. The others of Team Hebi nodded as the four ran off.

Tobi stood up and took off his mask to wipe the tears from his remaining eye. He placed the mask back on.

"I don't believe Dei-Dei is dead," he said to himself, "I'm gonna check where we last were together..."

Tobi ran through the forest until he reached the area. Deidara was on the ground, one of his legs bent in a nasty way.

"Dei-Dei? You alive?" Tobi asked fearfully, cautiously approaching Deidara.

"Please, don't call me that, yeah," Deidara said.

"YAY!!!" Tobi cheered in glee as he ran over and hugged Deidara.

"Stop! STOP!" Deidara panicked, "I have two broken legs, yeah!"

Tobi released Deidara, "Aw, shucks. That must suck," he said.

"Tobi, why did you run? You could've assisted me in defeating Sasuke, yeah! You are worthless, hmm!" Deidara angrily scolded Tobi.

"I'm sorry, Dei-Dei... I can heal your legs. Will that make up for it?" Tobi apologized.

"Yes, that will. But exactly _how_ are you going to mend my broken bones, hmm?" Deidara asked.

"Medicine," Tobi said matter-of-factly.

"You honestly expect me to believe that spreading a gel on my _skin_ will heal _bones_ that are broken, yeah?" Deidara asked.

"Yup," Tobi said as he pulled out a container. He pulled off the lid and put his fingers in the gel-like substance inside. He pulled up Deidara's pant legs and carefully spread the gel around Deidara's legs. Amazingly, Deidara could feel the bones mending themselves! It was an unpleasant, yet relieving experience. Tobi pulled down Deidara's pant legs and he put the medicine away.

"That was pretty amazing, Tobi. I'm sorry I doubted you and scolded you..." Deidara said softly.

"I'm not an idiot, you know..." Tobi said. The blissfully stupid tone that was usually in his voice was gone.

"Hmm?" Deidara asked.

"I said I'm not stupid. I've been acting that way to keep myself entertained, but mostly so people will underestimate me..." Tobi said, "I've been having these strange images lately... I think I have amnesia or something, and I'm starting to recover my memory..."

"Oh?" Deidara asked, mildly interested.

"I can't remember much, just a white spiky haired boy, a brown haired girl, and a yellow haired man... Minato Namikaze... the Fourth Hokage..." Tobi said.

"May I see the face under that mask? If you have amnesia, I might recognize you, yeah..." Deidara said, very interested now.

Tobi slowly took off the mask. Beneath the mask was a boyish face tainted with several scars. Tobi was wearing an eyepatch over his left eye. The left side of his face was scarred more than the right side. But what interested Deidara the most was Tobi's right eye... it was a Sharingan.

"Tobi... you have a Sharingan?" Deidara asked.

"Yeah, why?" Tobi responded.

"I'm afraid I do not recognize you, but I need to train with a Sharingan user so I can defeat that Sasuke kid. Itachi is not the type to train with others, so will you help me sometime, yeah?" Deidara asked.

Tobi put the mask back on.

"Suuuure, thing, Dei-Dei!" Tobi exclaimed, the gleeful idiocy back in his voice.

Deidara sighed, "You're just doing this to annoy me, hmm..." Tobi nodded in response.

"Can't say I can complain... I may seem angry, but you're probably cheering me up when you act stupid, yeah..." Deidara said.

Deidara sculpted two clay birds. They both climbed atop one.

"Now we pursue that Sasuke... I _will_ kill him. No matter what..." Deidara said as they both took off.

* * *

Shizune's group was outside the Ninja Academy. The sun was beginning to set.

"We need to go back to the Administration Building..." Shizune said.

Naruto looked at Shikamaru, who looked pissed.

"I'm really sorry... it's just..." Naruto said quietly, looking at the ground.

"Shut it. I don't care..." Shikamaru snapped back.

"Stop it, Shikamaru! You're acting immature and selfish!" Yamato scolded Shikamaru, "Yes, we have all had our losses, but Iruka was like Naruto's father! And Naruto never knew his parents! So apologize to him right now!"

Shikamaru sighed and turned to Naruto.

"Sorry, kid. I guess I was a bit of a jackass..." he said.

"Thanks. I guess I was a bit too selfish back there..." Naruto said sadly.

The group walked to the Administration Building in silence. The unnatural silence of the town disturbed them greatly.

_Something's not right here..._ Naruto thought, _If everyone besides us and Granny Tsunade's group supposedly died, then where are all of the zombies?_

The eerie silence continued as the Administration Building appeared in the distance. The group continued to walk, not uttering a word...

Soon they arrived in front of the Administration Building. The air was filled with the stench of death due to the bodies littering the area in front of the Administration Building from earlier today. They saw some people in the distance.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune called out.

The people in the distance started running quickly. Soon the people in the group were visible. The group consisted of Tsunade, Sakura, Guy, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Hinata, and Hanabi.

"Sakura!" Naruto called out. For a moment Naruto's mind wandered away from Iruka's death as he embraced Sakura. Hinata saw this and her look saddened a bit. Once Naruto released Sakura, Hinata hugged Naruto.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Naruto..." Hinata said quietly as she let go of Naruto.

The newly formed group greeted each other. Shino's death shocked them. Ibiki cleared his throat after they recovered.

"I hate being the bearer of bad news, but..." he began. He took a deep breath and finished, "...my group checked every building earlier today. Look around you. Anybody you do not see in this group is dead."

The news hit everyone hard.

"No... Choji!" Shikamaru cried out as tears fell from his face.

"Ino didn't survive!?!" Sakura gasped as she covered her mouth with her hands.

_Jiraiya wasn't in the village as this horrible thing happened... I hope he's okay..._ Tsunade thought.

Soon the group swallowed their sadness.

"What do we do now?" Yamato asked, "The reinforcements from Sunagakure will not be here until next night at the very least..."

"We barricade up in the building we're standing in front of," Tsunade said, "Sai will have one of his ink creatures leave an undestroyable message at the gates of Konoha telling the reinforcements that we'll be barricaded inside this building..."

"What about... Kakashi?" Naruto said slowly.

"We should be ashamed of ourselves. We never buried him and Anko... we have to honor them..." Tsunade said.

"Tsunade's plan sounds good..." Guy said, "There are probably still some zombies holed up in there, so we need to weed them out..."

"But first, we need to bury them..." Shizune said.

The group opened the doors to the Administration Building, and stepped inside.

"No zombies so far..." Kurenai said.

They went down the left hallway and they went up the staircase. They followed the new hallway to the double doors.

"Here we go..." Shizune exhaled as she slowly opened the door.

"RAAAGH!!!" someone ghastly yelled, shocking everyone.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Kakashi was not fully dead yet somehow, despite having a kunai jammed in his head. His mask was tattered and ripped and his eyes were completely white, except his sharingan eye that was not his. There was blood staining the area around his mouth.

Kakashi lunged for Shizune and grabbed her, moving his head to bite her neck. Shizune shrieked and tried to push him off, but Kakashi was stronger than the assistant.

Tsunade gasped as she ran forward and slammed her fist into Kakashi's face. The force of the blow crushed Kakashi's head. His body flew back and crashed through the window, falling to the ground littered with bodies outside.

The group breathed heavily as they recovered from the shock. Tsunade glanced across the room. What was in the room apparently disgusted her heavily.

"AHH!!!" she shrieked as she ran from the room. Naruto's curiosity overcame him. He poked his head in the room.

Anko's body was even more mutilated than when he last saw it. It was sprawled on the floor, the head crushed in by the broom handle Naruto used, blood and brain matter pooled around it. The brain matter looked like maggots to Naruto. Kakashi had apparently eaten most of the rest of the body. Blood was everywhere, and Naruto could see Anko's innards. The only flesh that remained was a small part of her chest. Her top was ripped, exposing her right breast. All of the area around it was ripped open.

Naruto turned his head in disgust and closed the door.

"Don't look at all," he warned everyone, "We cannot go in that room..."

"What's in there?" Kiba asked.

"Dead body. Anko. Horribly mutilated," was all Naruto could say.

Tsunade had seemingly purged the horrible image from her mind.

"Shizune, are you okay?" she asked. Everyone else tried to ask that question, but the shock from the zombie Kakashi's attack was still holding their tongues.

Tears began to form in Shizune's eyes.

"He... he bit me..." Shizune said, tears choking her voice.

Everyone gasped in horror.

"Please don't kill me! I don't want to die!" Shizune cried out.

The entire group stood in silence for a moment, except for Shizune's sobs.

"We won't kill you. We can't," Shikamaru finally spoke.

"But... I could turn any minute!" Shizune sobbed.

"We can't kill you, though!" Sakura cried.

"We will tie you up in the interrogation room," Tsunade said sadly.

"Thank you... for showing me mercy..." Shizune said sadly, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Naruto could not believe this was happening. Another had fallen to this evil jutsu! Those two rogue Akatsuki bastards would pay for this!

Shizune was taken to the interrogation room and shackled by metal clamps on the wall.

"I'm so sorry, Lady Tsunade, everyone..." she sobbed, "Good... bye..."

The people in the group that knew Shizune gave their farewells to her as they left the room. Now only Shizune and Tsunade were in the room.

"Lady Tsunade... why are you staying? I don't want you to see me as one of 'them'..." Shizune murmured.

"Goodbye, Shizune... I loved you like a daughter..." was all Tsunade could say.

"I love you, too... Lady... Tsu...nade..." Shizune said. She smiled, and then her head dropped. Tsunade continued to cry.

She heard a low moan escape from Shizune's lips. Tsunade knew now that she had to leave this room and never return. She closed the door and backed away from the room slowly.

"Please... this sounds cruel... but we cannot let sadness interfere with our mission..." Genma said.

"...He's right," Sai said, "We have to barricade the building... I have already left the message at the gates..."

"R-right then," Tsunade stuttered. She and the others were obviously occupied with Shizune's departing, "Follow me..."

She led them to a room with several carpenting tools.

"We need to nail up all of the doors and windows to this building," she said. Her face was distant.

Everyone grabbed some lumber and tools as they began to work. The zombies in the Administration Building must have been hiding, for none interrupted them as they barricaded the building...

* * *

A girl approached Konoha. She had shoulder length brown wavy hair. She was wearing a black miniskirt and a black shirt. This girl might have seen normal, but any passerby would notice the large disembodied eyeball the size of a human head floating next to her.

"You sure Kenny's here?" the girl asked, looking at the eye.

_"I am positive, Niomi,"_ the eye responded. Nobody except the girl named Niomi would have heard the eye speak, as it talked with telepathy.

A wide grin appeared on Niomi's face, "Yippee! We can kill him and his little girlfriend and take their rings and join Akatsuki!" she ecstatically exclaimed.

_"Calm down, Niomi. We still have to search the village for them first. Also, try to restrain yourself from blowing everything up,"_ the eye responded.

Niomi pouted and crossed her arms across her chest, "Aw, Zhale, you're no fun..." Niomi complained.

Niomi and the eye known as Zhale continued approaching Konoha as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky...


	13. Chapter 13: Day 1's End

The Necromancer, Chapter 13:

Guy nailed in the last nail on a board covering the door.

"That should do it..." Guy said, wiping his brow.

"Now what do we do?" Yamato asked Tsunade.

Most of the other survivors were in the lobby sitting down talking about things. It was good to see them laugh and smile during these dark times.

"...We sweep the building..." Tsunade said quietly. She was still focused on Shizune's departing.

"What!?!" Guy exclaimed.

"...You heard me. We all need to check every room in this building and kill all the zombies. Except... Shizune..." Tsunade said. It took all she had to say her fallen assistant's name, "...We promised we wouldn't kill her..."

"We understand, Lady Tsunade..." Yamato said.

The three walked into the main building. Yamato cleared his throat. The idle chatter died down as all eyes laid themselves on the three.

"We have successfully barricaded the building. That is not the final step, though. We need to sweep the building. We must check every room to see if they are zombie free. Except the room with... Shizune..." Yamato said.

Ibiki stood up, "I see. I suggest that we form squads of four. Three lead by a jonin, just like... the old days," he said.

"Right..." Tsunade said, "I will form the squads..."

Tsunade paused as her eyes gazed across the room. Her eyes were dormant, as they appeared to be glazed over. It was like part of her died with Shizune and her eyes reflected this.

"Naruto, Sakura, and Sai will be with Yamato; Kiba, Hinata, and Shikamaru will be with Kurenai; Lee, Tenten, and Neji will be with Guy; Hanabi and Julia will go with Genma; Ken and Megumi will go with Ibiki; and I will accompany Kurenai's team, for she is pregnant and not exactly combat-prepared..." Tsunade said.

Everyone nodded and walked to their jonin senseis.

"There are approximately thirty rooms in this building. With our formations we can cover five rooms at once. Leave a mark near the door with a kunai to show any others if that room has been checked. Yamato's team will take the left wing of floor one; Kurenai's team will check the right wing of floor one; Guy's team will check the left wing of floor two; Genma's team will check the right wing of floor two; Ibiki's team will check the third floor; and any team can check the basement... only the brave should go down there, for it is pitch black. Flashlights are on a shelf near the entrance. Meet back here within an hour. If you are twenty minutes late, you will be considered dead. Understand?" Tsunade said.

"Understood," Everyone else said in some form. The groups spilt up.

* * *

Yamato led his team down the hallway to the left of the lobby. He stopped in front of a door, pulling out a kunai and making a scratch mark next to it. He slowly opened the door and peered inside.

Inside was a normal office. The furniture appeared normal, except for some bloodstains on some of the furniture. Papers were sprawled all over the floor and the desk, which was toppled over. A man with short black hair and half of his face reduced to bloody muscle slowly wandered around the office, lowly moaning.

"I've found one..." Yamato whispered to his teammates, "I'll rid of it..."

Yamato pulled out a kunai and swiftly chucked it at the zombie. It cleanly embedded itself in the man's skull as he fell over, dead once more. Yamato closed the door.

"If we split up, we can take four more rooms... but it's a bit risky..." Yamato said, "Do we want to split up, team?"

"I'd say so. The quicker the building is rid of these creatures, the better," Sai said.

"But what if a room is full of too many?" Sakura worriedly asked.

"Then you call for help," Naruto said, sounding a bit more confidant since Iruka's death, "We won't be _that_ far from each other..."

"Very well, then..." Yamato said, "...we split up... I guess I need not give any further explanation..."

Sakura, Sai, and Naruto nodded and split up, each heading towards separate rooms that were close by, yet far apart.

Naruto made a scratch on the door he was in front of and slowly opened it and peered inside. It seemed to be a break room. The couches in the room were overturned and a broken coffee maker was on the ground. He saw a woman with bobbed hair shambling around the room. The glasses she wore were askew on her face.

Naruto growled in anger. That woman did nothing to him, but he hated the undead now. He hated the undead and the two who made all of this hell happen. He wanted to just kill the two who caused this over and over again.

Naruto yelled in anger as he burst in the room and kicked the woman in the head, sending her glasses flying off of her face. She let out a somewhat surprised sounding moan as she stumbled back. She moaned as she lunged towards Naruto, who quickly pulled out a kunai and shoved it into the woman's head. She stopped her lunge, her body making a few death spasms before it went limp. Naruto let go of the kunai and the woman's body crumpled to the floor along with the kunai still in her head.

Naruto left the room and looked around to see where his teammates had gone. At this exact moment, Sai had made a mark outside of another room, and he had entered it. He looked around. Everything seemed perfectly normal and nobody was in that room.

_How anticlimactic..._ Sai thought, disappointed. He closed the door.

"Hey, Sai," Naruto whispered from behind Sai. Sai yelped and leapt up a good foot or so.

"DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT!!!" Sai angrily yelled at Naruto.

"Shh! We can't attract unwanted attention!" Naruto said, pressing a finger against his mouth.

They saw Yamato walking up to them.

"The fourth room in this area was clear..." he said, "...Where's Sakura? Have any of you seen her?"

"No, not really..." Naruto said, scratching his chin.

The three suddenly heard a scream in a room nearby.

"SAKURA!!!" Naruto cried out as he ran towards the door.

_I don't know what I'll do if I lose her!_ Naruto thought.

The three saw an open door with a mark on the outside of it. They heard Sakura's struggling noises within. Naruto paused for a moment and then ran in the room.

Sakura was trying to force off of her a man with most of the skin on his face missing, exposing blood and muscle. Naruto growled and ran towards the man, kicking it in the head sharply. The neck was weakened, and the head snapped off and flew into a desk. Sakura threw the body off of her, disgusted.

"Thank you... Naruto..." she said.

"No problem. I'm just glad you're safe," Naruto said. Yamato and Sai arrived in the room at this time. Yamato looked like he was about to say something, but he noticed Sakura was fine, so he said nothing.

Sai pointed at the head of the man. Everyone turned towards to look. Even though it was missing a body, the head's mouth was still moving, snapping at the four!

"How?" Yamato muttered.

"I believe the jutsu that created them makes the brain the ultimate command center, making nearly every other organ and system worthless..." Sai said, "Beheading them might cripple them, but they can still bite..."

"I believe you're right..." Yamato said, impressed, as he made a root rise up and pierce the head's decaying, fragile skull, stopping it from moving permanently, "I believe we're the first team to clear our area. The rooms on the left wing in this building are not very large... I think we should take the basement," he added.

Naruto gulped. He had seen the basement once, and he did not ever want to enter it. The room was completely covered in darkness, and anybody could be within...

"Well, come on, then," Yamato said calmly as he led his team to the entrance to the basement, "Don't worry, there are flashlights here!" Yamato said, pointing to some flashlights on a janitor's supply table. The four each took a flashlight, turning them on. They opened the door to the pitch black basement.

The four flashlights were turned on, illuminating the darkness. The wall they shone on was smeared with blood.

That's when the flashlights died. Naruto tried turning his back on with no avail.

"What the heck?" Naruto swore in the dark.

"The batteries died!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Calm down, everyone..." Yamato said, "We'll just have to listen and feel our way around... everyone, follow my voice and grab onto me."

They did so, with some difficulty.

"Okay, I want someone to hold on to my shoulders. Then the next person will hold on to their shoulders, and so on. Do so, now. I will lead us through the dark..." Yamato said.

Naruto was in the back. He could feel his hands on Sakura's slender shoulders, her hair brushing against his hands. He felt the line take a few steps. Yamato was now moving.

"Everyone just stay calm. Panic is our enemy..." Yamato said calmly, soothing everyone with his relaxed, focused voice. He repeated this every ten seconds or so as he felt around the room.

All of a sudden Naruto heard Yamato yell and everyone fell down.

"What's going on?" he heard Sakura panic, "Why'd we fall?"

"I just slipped on some blood, that's all..." Yamato said, "Come on, reform the line."

Naruto now felt the warm liquid engulf his hands and the rest of his body that was on the ground. How much blood was there? He picked himself up and he grabbed Sakura's shoulders after wiping his bloody hands on his clothes. He could feel warm blood up to his ankles. How deep was it?

Then they heard it. The soulless moan belonging to the undead. Their eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness, either.

"Hold perfectly still..." Yamato whispered.

Once again they heard the moans. There were three distinct moans. They heard the footsteps in the blood, the blood splashing as the feet of the undead heavily slammed into it. The splashes got closer and closer.

Yamato made roots form and stab the area in front of them.

"Run! Now!" Yamato exclaimed, "It's pointless fighting in the dark!"

The group didn't argue. They ran for the open door, the light in the dark. Once they were outside, they slammed the door and barred it with some of the janitor's tools.

Naruto looked at Sakura, Sai, and Yamato. Blood covered their feet and the backside of their clothing.

"Well, then, shall we go to the lobby?" Yamato suggested. Nobody said anything as they headed towards the lobby.

* * *

When they arrived in the lobby, they saw everyone else looking relieved that they had made it.

"...What happened?" Ken had asked them as he saw the blood on their clothing.

"Have you been... bitten?" Ken's twin, Megumi, asked them fearfully.

"No, no. Nothing like that. We are all fine. We went in the basement and our flashlights died..." Yamato began, "There were at least three down there. We couldn't see anything. There was tons of blood. We fled the room and barred the door. We should be fine."

"We have successfully cleared the building then, except the basement. Somebody should monitor it all the time. Since we have several people, it should be easy to set up a watch schedule," Tsunade said, "We now need to clean up the rooms and make them suitable for sleeping. We have..." Tsunade paused to count everyone, "nineteen of us. There are about thirty rooms in this building. That's more than enough for all of us. We'll clean up the rooms and dump out the corpses. We'll only have the rooms of the ground floor as sleeping quarters. That way, if someone is attacked at night, we can all come and help quickly. The upstairs rooms may be used for... well... anything. Which means there will be two people to a room. Let's clear out the first floor rooms and set up the beds... it's getting dark and I'm sure everyone's tired. We can figure out what to do with the second and third floors tomorrow."

Everyone began to clean up the place.

* * *

Niomi and Zhale were in front of the gates to Konoha.

"What's this funny message?" Niomi asked nobody in particular, "'To the Sunagakure reinforcements: we are barricaded inside the Administration Building.' Huh?"

_"It does not concern us, Niomi,"_ Zhale said, _"We need to enter this village and find Kenokami and Reiko."_

Then Zetsu emerged from the ground in front of them.

"Halt a_t once,"_ Zetsu said.

"A member of Akatsuki?" Niomi asked, "Ooooo, you gonna help us?"

_"Have you betrayed them as well?"_ Zhale asked Zetsu with telepathy.

"I have not betrayed Akatsuki," Zetsu answered. Then his other personality spoke, "_I am simply here to tell you that if you are to battle the two traitors, Pain has requested that Kenokami remain alive and Reiko can be killed as long as her corpse isn't mutilated..._"

Zetsu sank into the ground, leaving the girl and the eye confused as to how he knew exactly what they were doing.

"Who was the plant man, Zhale? And who was that 'Pain' guy he mentioned?" Niomi asked.

_"That plant man was Zetsu. And Pain is the Leader of Akatsuki..."_ Zhale told Niomi.

"Okay!" Niomi exclaimed. She then giggled like a small child and skipped into the village.

_"Niomi! Be careful! The living dead will not spare you!"_ Zhale scolded Niomi, floating over to her.

"EEEEEK!" Niomi shrieked, "HELP ME, ZHALE!"

_Troublesome girl..._ Zhale thought as he hovered over to where Niomi ran off. She was on the ground trying to force a man with a bloodied face off of her.

Tentacles composed of dark purple chakra emerged from Zhale. They wrapped themselves around the zombie's neck, lifting him up into the air. The zombie futilely tried grabbing Niomi from his position. The tentacles covered the man's head as a crack was heard. The body fell to the ground, missing a head. The chakra tentacles vanished, making a rain of blood, bone, and brain matter.

_"Didn't you just hear what I said?"_ Zhale angrily said to Niomi, _"You could've died right there!"_

"I'm sorry, Master Zhale..." Niomi said quietly.

_"Just don't be so careless..."_ Zhale said.

"Okay... so, where's Kenny and Rei-Rei?" Niomi suddenly asked, using Tobi-esque nicknames.

_"I don't know. I can't sense the chakra of others in this form..."_ Zhale said, _"Let me switch..."_

The eye seemingly transformed into dark purple chakra. The chakra formed into the shape of a human before it vanished, leaving Zhale's true form.

Zhale was wearing a black outfit. He had shoulder length dark violet hair and he wore glasses. His face was handsome, but dark and sinister. The headband of the Village Hidden in the Clouds, Kumogakure, was tied to his neck. It had a deep gash across it.

Zhale closed his eyes for a moment. Niomi looked up at him. To most people, Niomi would look like an innocent child-like teenager looking up at a parent. Niomi was far from innocent, though.

Zhale opened his eyes. "They're in.... that building," he said, pointing to a nearby building.

"You sure, Zhale?" Niomi asked.

"You doubt me, Niomi? After what you have seen me do?" Zhale asked Niomi, grinning kindly. Niomi shook her head, her hair flopping left and right with her head, "Then let's go..."

The two walked to the building and entered. Zhale walked up the stairs, Niomi following him. They reached the top, and the double door leading to the room Kenokami and Reiko stayed in was slightly ajar. Zhale slowly nudged it open.

_"Wait there until I tell you to do something..."_ Zhale ordered Niomi with telepathy.

Zhale opened the door and creeped in. He glanced around and saw Kenokami and Reiko sleeping.

_"This is truly pathetic... they're asleep..."_ Zhale told Niomi.

Niomi walked in the room and saw Kenokami sleeping with Reiko. She glared at Kenokami's sleeping form.

"How dare he..." Niomi said quietly, "...he abandons me, and then he finds a new girlfriend..."

Niomi growled, and reached into a pouch she had tied around her waist.

_"Niomi, don't,"_ Zhale commanded Niomi.

Niomi reluctantly nodded and closed the pouch.

"What are we waiting for then?" Niomi asked Zhale.

_"I am making sure if they are asleep or if they are faking it..."_ Zhale told Niomi.

Kenokami heard Niomi talking. His back was facing the two and his eyes were closed. He had heard them enter the building.

_**So... what **_**will**_** you do?**_ Kenokami heard a calm, soothing voice say.

_Who are you?_ Kenokami responded by thinking.

_**You don't recognize my voice? I am Sköll. Also known as the Five-Tailed Wolf...**_ the voice responded.

_YOU! YOU MADE MY LIFE HELL!!!_ Kenokami screamed in his head. It took all that he had to not scream out loud.

_**Me? I did not do such a thing. Do not accuse the innocent. Tarkeros sealed me into you. It is his fault that your childhood was hell. Mostly it was the pathetic simple-minded humans who cannot accept difference...**_ Sköll said.

"When are we going to do something?" Niomi pouted.

"Oh, right about now. Kenokami is awake. I was just listening in on the conversation he was having with his bijuu..." Zhale said aloud for all ears to hear.

Kenokami's eyes shot open in surprise.

Zhale chuckled, "Surprised, wolf? I have _many_ powers. Also, there is no use in pretending to sleep. I know you're awake..."

Kenokami got out of the bed. He turned to face them. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Niomi.

"YOU!" Kenokami growled, pointing at Niomi.

Niomi growled at Kenokami.

Zhale looked at Niomi, then at Kenokami, "Oh, you two know each other?" he asked.

"He was my boyfriend back in our village, but he left me!" Niomi angrily shouted.

"Only because you were crazy!" Kenokami shouted back.

"Could you two please quiet down?" Zhale calmly asked them both.

Reiko stirred in her sleep, "What's going on?" she mumbled. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She then gasped and leapt away from the two assailants, activating her Sharingan.

"We're here to take your Akatsuki rings," Zhale said.

Niomi reached into her pouch.

"Stop, Niomi. It would be incredibly unwise to use those inside..." Zhale said, "Come."

Niomi nodded and the two ran out of the building. Kenokami grabbed his swords and pursued the two.

"Kenokami, wait!" Reiko called out as she followed him.

When she was outside the building, Kenokami had already unsheathed his oversized katana, and he was staring down the girl and the man. Reiko ran over to Kenokami and took a fighting stance.

Niomi looked innocent as she looked up a Zhale, "Can I?" she asked him. Zhale nodded. Niomi then turned her gaze to Kenokami and Reiko. A large sinister smile spread across her face.

"It's going to be _great_ seeing you die!" she exclaimed as she reached into her pouch and pulled out two small oval objects with a circle protruding from them. Niomi pulled on the circles, and they came off. She tossed the two oval objects at Kenokami and Reiko.

"Niomi is an explosives expert! Watch out!" Kenokami exclaimed. He and Reiko ran out of the way as the grenades Niomi threw exploded, "DUCK!!!" Kenokami yelled again as the two ducked and the shrapnel from the grenades flew over their heads.

"How do you know about Niomi?" Reiko asked Kenokami.

"She was my girlfriend back in my old village, but she was a bit too crazy for my tastes..." Kenokami said.

Niomi growled some more as she took out three more grenades from her pouches. Her hands approached the pins, but Kenokami suddenly was in front of her, his blade at her throat.

"Forgetting about someone, wolf?" Zhale asked as he thrust his palm forward. An invisible force slammed into Kenokami's chest, sending him flying back. Zhale turned to Niomi, "Let me play with them for now. If they are too boring, I'll let you play with them, okay?" he said. It was eerie how soothingly he talked to Niomi when he was talking about attacking others.

"Yes, Master Zhale!" Niomi exclaimed as she put the three grenades back into her pouch, closing it. She skipped over to a bench and sat down on it, her hands on her chin, her legs swaying to and fro. She was humming a tune like a small child.

Zhale turned to look at his two opponents.

"Now... I want you to hit me with your strongest attack..." Zhale said, "Go on."

"It'll be my pleasure!!!" Kenokami roared as he got up and ran forward, swinging his huge sword at Zhale. The sword stopped feet from Zhale. A faint blue dome briefly appeared around Zhale before it vanished.

"Come on!" Zhale yelled, "_That_ was your strongest attack? It didn't even break my shield!"

Kenokami growled and leapt back next to Reiko.

"I am stronger than Kenokami!" Reiko exclaimed, "Allow me to hit you with my strongest jutsu!"

An orb of whirling, spinning chakra appeared in Reiko's palm. She then infused the elements of wind, fire, and lightning into it.

"Impressive. Few are able to synthesize elements like that..." Zhale said.

"Shut it!" Reiko shouted as she ran forward and threw the orb at Zhale. It slammed into... something... and smoke obstructed their view of Zhale. The smoke quickly cleared, and Zhale stood there, unharmed.

"That made a small nick in my shield," Zhale said as he pushed his glasses back up to his face, "Quite unimpressive for the two that reduced the strongest ninja village to this..."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!!!" Kenokami screamed, "I'M SICK OF BEING CALLED WEAK!!!"

White chakra suddenly burst from Kenokami. The chakra produced a single tail of white chakra behind him. Air suddenly swirled around the tail at high speeds, enveloping the tail in a mini-tornado.

_Quite impressive... he's tapping into the power of the Five-Tailed Wolf..._ Zhale thought.

Kenokami held his oversized katana in front of him in a fighting stance. The air began to whirl and spin around the blade.

_Interesting... the jinchuuriki I fought once simply went into an animalistic fighting style once he tapped into his bijuu's power... and yet this Kenokami seems to be able to still fight with his blades..._ Zhale thought.

Kenokami swung his sword, and a large blade of air flew towards Zhale. It slammed into Zhale's shield.

"That also made a small nick in my shield... you people are really disappointing me..." Zhale said in a mocking tone.

Reiko began to make some hand seals.

"Stay back, Reiko... this guy is pissing me off..." Kenokami said, "...your strongest jutsu did little, so I'll show you what I can do with the Five-Tailed Wolf!" Kenokami roared.

Reiko nodded, and stood back. Niomi watched the fight with rapid changes of interest and boredom.

Another tail of white chakra appeared behind Kenokami, and this tail burst aflame. Air once more began to whirl around the blade of his huge katana, but as he swung the blade to launch the air at Zhale, the ground beneath the air blade burst aflame. Once it connected with Zhale, it made an explosion.

The smoke quickly cleared.

"Well, well. I'm impressed..." Zhale said. A large crack was visible in the barrier before it vanished, "Maybe I should start attacking you now... or perhaps that will be too tough for you..."

Zhale then saw something move at quick speeds. Zhale gasped in awe as his barrier was shattered.

"What the hell?" he swore, "Niomi!"

Niomi nodded and ran to Zhale's side.

Otoshi stood there, the katana on his left hip was unsheathed. The katana he had not used yet. The sheath was elegantly crafted, and so was the blade and hilt of the katana belonging in that sheath.

"I heard some noise, so I decided to join in on the fun..." Otoshi said, sheathing the regal katana and unsheathing the plain one, "...I hope you don't mind."

"Who the devil are you?" Zhale yelled at Otoshi.

Kenokami and Reiko stared threateningly at Otoshi, who, of course, could not see them.

"I am Otoshi, former member of the Akatsuki. I have no affiliation to the two you are fighting right now," Otoshi said, "I'm here to have a little fun, for you are incredibly strong, Zhale. I've heard many stories about you..."

"Well, Otoshi... I know not who you are, but you managed to shatter my barrier in one blow. Therefore, you _must_ be powerful..." Zhale said. He then turned to Niomi, "You can play with Kenokami and Reiko. This man is mine."

Niomi grinned at Zhale, "Yay! Sure thing, Master Zhale!" Niomi cheered as she skipped over to where Kenokami and Reiko were.

Zhale then turned to Otoshi, "Now... where were we..."

Otoshi grinned and ran towards Zhale, sword ready to strike.

* * *

Niomi skipped over to where Kenokami and Reiko were.

"I get to fight you two now!" she exclaimed, "And I'll get to see you die!"

"I don't think so, bitch," Kenokami growled, "I have two tails of the Five-Tailed Wolf. I suggest you run away before you get killed..."

Niomi frowned, "NO!" she yelled, "YOU RUN OR YOU DIE!!!"

Niomi reached into her pouch and pulled out some more grenades. She pulled the pins and tossed them. Kenokami swung his sword, which sent out another blade of air that hit every grenade, making them harmlessly explode in midair.

"Looks like you'll have to try something else..." Kenokami said.

Niomi growled and produced a large sphere with a fuse sticking out of it.

"This bomb is _packed_ with pellets and gunpowder..." Niomi said as she reached into a pouch and pulled out a flint, striking it against the fuse, lighting it. She then tossed the bomb at Kenokami and Reiko. It exploded, sending the pellets flying everywhere. Kenokami leapt in front of Reiko and shielded her, the pellets bombarding his skin. The smoke cleared, and Niomi had several small cuts on her skin and clothing.

"You didn't even shield yourself?" Kenokami asked, bewildered.

"Nope!" Niomi giggled, "Y'wanna know why?"

Niomi dipped some of her fingers on her right hand in a deep cut on her left arm. She withdrew her fingers, which were drenched with blood. She ran up to Kenokami and flicked some of the blood onto his chest. She then leapt back to where she was standing earlier. She then clapped her hands together.

Suddenly Kenokami's chest exploded. Kenokami roared in pain as a large wound opened up from the explosion. It gradually closed, but it still hurt like hell.

"What the-" Kenokami began.

"My blood makes things go boom when I clap!" Niomi exclaimed gleefully as she picked up a sharp piece of shrapnel on the ground next to her. She plunged the shrapnel into her arm and slowly drug it down. She tossed the piece of shrapnel at Kenokami and clapped once more, making it explode.

Kenokami continued to try and shield Reiko even though smoke was blocking his vision. As the smoke cleared, he saw Niomi inches away from him, her right hand completely covered in blood. She slapped Kenokami in random places and then jumped on his shoulder and leapt off of it, landing behind him. Niomi then slapped Reiko in random spots and ran away from them. She turned around and grinned deviously, clapping her hands together.

The bloody hand marks on Kenokami and Reiko exploded. Reiko flew back, wounded and unconscious.

"Little bitch!" Kenokami swore as he swung his blade, sending a flaming blade of air at Niomi. Niomi was too slow, and the blade slammed into her, making her crash into a building. Kenokami ran over to Reiko, cradling her in his arms.

Reiko had some nasty wounds on her chest and arms. Kenokami bit his lip tightly, wondering what to do. To his surprise, he saw the white chakra pouring out of him seep into Reiko's wounds gradually healing them. Kenokami returned to his normal state afterwards.

_Why?_ Kenokami asked Sköll, _Why did you help?_

_**Not all of the bijuu are violent, Kenokami,**_ the calm, booming voice of Sköll answered, _**I was sealed into you against my will. Tarkeros assumed I was a monster, when I am a peaceful creature. I hate to see people important to you get hurt.**_

_Why have you never talked to me before?_ Kenokami asked Sköll, suddenly feeling a mix of sadness and anger, _I could've had a friend when all of the other children ran from me in fear!_

_**I have attempted communication several times, Kenokami. It is not until recently that you have decided to listen. Blame your own stubbornness...**_ Sköll said, _**For now, this girl needs rest, as do you. Do not worry about Zhale. Otoshi is taking care of him as we speak...**_

Kenokami nodded and ran into the observatory.

_Otoshi... just whose side is he on, anyways?_ Kenokami thought as he entered their room and laid Reiko down on a bed. Kenokami crawled into another bed and pulled the covers up.

_You'll warn me if someone comes, right?_ Kenokami asked Sköll.

_**Yes... I will protect you,**_ Sköll said.

Kenokami sighed in relief and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep, where he could escape his troubles, if not for a moment...

* * *

Otoshi swung his sword at Zhale, who was suddenly not there.

"A quick one, are you?" Otoshi asked, "I expected nothing less from the 'Demon of the Clouds'..."

Zhale scoffed at his nickname, "_That's_ what they call me? What a horrible nickname..." his voice came from behind Otoshi, "...So. Want to tell me what exactly you did to become an S-Ranked Criminal?"

"No, no I do not..." Otoshi said as he made some hand seals and sank into his shadow. Zhale sensed Otoshi and stared at his own shadow. He saw Otoshi pop out of his shadow, sword prepared to stab. Otoshi was tossed aside by an invisible force.

"Hmm... psychic powers?" Otoshi asked.

"No, but they're very similar. It's the kekkei genkai of the Sen-Long clan from the Hidden Cloud. I am that clan's last survivor, the one who learned to properly control and master it..." Zhale said.

"Sen-Long clan... I think I remember Orochimaru saying that clan was on his list of kekkei genkais to obtain. It was after the Sharingan..." Otoshi muttered.

"You knew Orochimaru?" Zhale asked, curious.

"...I guess you could say that," Otoshi said.

Zhale grinned as Otoshi was thrown up into the air. Otoshi felt an invisible grip on his neck as he suddenly became suspended in the air.

"W...what?" Otoshi asked, confused, as the grip became tighter.

"Unfortunately for you, Otoshi, the Sen-Long clan's kekkei genkai is superior. I have telekinesis, telepathy, and elemental conjuration and manipulation," Zhale said, smirking, as he walked closer to Otoshi.

"Too... bad... I don't give a fuck," Otoshi said as he was suddenly released from the grip. Zhale was shocked.

"How?" Zhale asked.

Otoshi sheathed his plain katana and unsheathed the regal katana.

"Recognize this symbol?" Otoshi said, grinning, holding up the blade of the katana.

At the base of the expertly-crafted sword was a symbol of three tomoe surrounding a paper fan.

"HOW?!?" Zhale asked, clearly shocked, "That sword was destroyed at the battle in the Valley of the End!"

"That may be, but I found it and reforged it. I now possess Madara Uchiha's sword. The legendary sword of the Uchihas: Masamune!" Otoshi exclaimed, "And I have discovered some of its secrets! Observe!"

Otoshi made a one-handed hand seal. Zhale's eyes widened in shock. The blade of Masamune then burst aflame. Amazingly, the fire seemed to be around the sword, and it seemed to be not melting the blade at all! Otoshi then charged at Zhale.

Zhale formed a barrier, which Otoshi cleanly cut through. Zhale gasped and barely dodged the blade, which singed his clothing.

"Two can play at that!" Zhale exclaimed indignantly as he held up his hand and thrust it at Otoshi, large amounts of water bursting out of the palm towards Otoshi. Otoshi heard this and quickly made another one-handed seal. The flames vanished, replaced by arcing electricity. Otoshi sliced at the water, sending the electricity into Zhale's palm. Zhale grunted in pain as he made the water vanish.

"Had enough?" Otoshi asked mockingly.

Zhale gasped. He had sensed that Niomi had been defeated.

"I'm too rusty..." Zhale said, "I haven't had to actually fight someone in a _long_ time. I look forward to meeting you again, Otoshi..."

Zhale then transformed into the large, disembodied eyeball. He floated away, far too quick for Otoshi to follow.

Otoshi sheathed Masamune.

"What a bore..." he said as he walked away, "Perhaps I should fuck around with those survivors some more..."

* * *

Zhale found Niomi. She was badly bleeding. Purple chakra flowed out of Zhale, binding itself around her body. Zhale then hovered away, carrying Niomi with him.

_Just they wait... we'll get into Akatsuki soon enough..._ he thought. Zhale exited the village as the sun set, making the sky a beautiful orange-yellow.

* * *

"Stop! There's a message here!" Jiraiya yelled at the toad he was riding. The toad skidded to a halt in front of the gates to Konoha.

"'To the Sunagakure reinforcements: we are barricaded inside the Administration Building,'" Jiraiya read aloud, "...Good. They managed to contact Sunagakure. Well, I guess I know where Tsunade is located. Good thing I know a secret entrance inside the building..."

Jiraiya patted the toad on the back, "Gamaruma, you know where the secret entrance to the Administration Building is, right?" he asked the toad. Gamaruma nodded, "Okay. I want you to head directly to the building. Stop for _nothing,_ got it? Ignore all of the undead..."

"Got it," Gamaruma said as he began to leap towards the Administration Building. Soon, they were in front of it. Jiraiya directed the toad to the right side of the building. Jiraiya felt the wall.

"Here it is..." he said as he pressed in part of the wall. It slid aside, revealing a door. Jiraiya unsummoned Gamaruma and entered the door, closing it.

Jiraiya walked through the tunnel the door led to, and found another wall that slid aside. He entered the fairly large room and closed the sliding wall. He turned around, and saw Naruto pointing his finger at him. Naruto looked shocked.

"Where the heck did you come from, Pervy Sage?" Naruto yelled.

Jiraiya pointed to the wall, "Secret entrance," he said.

Tsunade then entered the room, "What's going on?" she asked fiercely.

"Yo," Jiraiya said, waving at Tsunade.

A weight seemed to be lifted off of Tsunade as her expression brightened up, "Jiraiya! Thank goodness you're okay!" she exclaimed as she ran forward and hugged him. She soon let go.

"So... mind telling me what's happening?" he asked her.

Tsunade sighed sadly, "It's a _long_ story..." she said.

"I have plenty of time..." Jiraiya said.

"Okay... Naruto can tell the beginning," Tsunade said.

"Right. I woke up at 2 A.M. and encountered a zombie. I left to warn Sakura, but this Akatsuki guy knocked me out. Once I recovered from his attack, there weren't that many zombies. I rescued Sakura and we went to find Kakashi. We encountered that Akatsuki guy again. His name is Kenokami and he's a real asshole..." Naruto explained, "...anyways, we fended him off and told Tsunade and Shizune what was going on. Sai sent a message to Sunagakure and as we left to look for more survivors, Kakashi was... bitten."

Jiraiya gasped.

"Yeah..." Naruto continued sadly, "...We ridded of him and searched for other survivors, running into Kenokami and his partner, some lady who used the jutsu that started all of this! They've both gone rogue for some reason, and there's another bastard rogue Akatsuki, Otoshi. He has a different agenda than Kenokami and his partner, it seems. He found more survivors, and someone mentioned Iruka... I... I ran to the Academy, and Otoshi had... fatally wounded Iruka..."

Tears began to form in Naruto's eyes. Jiraiya embraced Naruto, letting Naruto cry onto his clothes.

"Ibiki told us that we are the only survivors left. That is, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Yamato, Hinata, Neji, Hanabi, Kiba, Shikamaru, Kurenai, Lee, Guy, Tenten, Genma, Ibiki, a woman named Julia, two twins: Ken and Megumi, and... Shi...zune..." Tsunade continued, saying Shizune's name quietly, "...So we came back here and cleared out the room, but Shizune... was bitten..."

Tears formed in Tsunade's eyes. Naruto had finished crying and he was now sitting in a chair.

"Damn..." Jiraiya said sadly as he hugged Tsunade.

"It's horrible! She was like my daughter!" Tsunade cried. Jiraiya continued to comfort her.

"Now we're cleaning up the rooms and making them sleeping rooms..." Naruto finished, "I'm just glad you're safe, Jiraiya-sensei."

Tsunade let go of Jiraiya and Jiraiya grinned at Naruto, "Thanks, kid," he said.

"I'll go tell the others that you've arrived..." Tsunade said as she exited the room.

* * *

When Jiraiya entered the Administration Building through the secret entrance, he failed to notice the two large white birds circling overhead.

"Well, well. A secret entrance, hmm?" Deidara said, looking below with his eye-scope.

"Are we gonna kill 'em?" Tobi asked Deidara.

"No... I'm quite tired from pursuing people all day, yeah. I say we rest... it's not like Sunagakure will arrive any time soon. They will remain in their little "sanctuary" when it will actually trap them, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed. He and Tobi then flew off somewhere outside of the village to find a resting area.

Otoshi looked upwards. He heard the two white birds fly off. A smirk appeared on Otoshi's face.

"So they broke free of the Ryuukugan somehow, hmm? Maybe Pain's funky eyes had something to do with it... or maybe it was Zetsu... nevertheless, I've found where I want to be..." he said aloud.

Otoshi walked up to the Administration Building. He made some hand seals, and he melted into a shadowy substance. He slid underneath the door into the building...


	14. Chapter 14: Death of a Hokage

The Necromancer, Chapter 14:

_"Awaken..." I heard a deep voice say._

_I opened my eyes. Nothing but darkness. What exactly was going on? Information began bombarding me: walking, talking, words, movements, and much more all entered my mind at one moment._

_"Can you hear me?" the voice asked again._

_"Affirmative," I responded. The voice belonged to... a human. A male human. But my voice was also that of a male human._

_"What exactly am I?" I asked the man. I still could only see darkness. Was this normal? You are supposed to have "vision" from eyes, right?_

_"You? You are my newest success!" the man exclaimed, "I created you!"_

_"Oh? Might I ask what the name of my creator is, then?" I replied. I think I briefly saw a flash of something in the darkness that was my vision. I think it was... "hallucination". That was the human word for an illusion of sorts. Twelve seconds ago I was born. Twelve seconds ago I also learned the human language, and already I am questioning it... the language makes no sense in comparison to other words... how does the letter "f" sound the same as "gh" in "enough?" Already I notice this and several other oddities._

_"My name? It is Orochimaru..." the man said. Again there was a brief flash of something odd... but I confirmed that I was not hallucinating, "Is something troubling you?" he asked me. Apparently my face showed signs of worry. And once again there was that flash..._

_"I... I keep seeing these flashes of... something. They seem to happen whenever you speak..." I said._

_"Did it happen again?" Orochimaru asked me. Once again there was the flash of... something. It stayed this time. What was it?_

_"Affirmative," I responded._

_"Okay... let me show you some shapes..." Orochimaru said, "Ignore the image for now."_

_"Affirmative," I responded._

_"Look... it is much simpler to nod instead. Like this..." Orochimaru said. I felt... coldness as his hands touched my chin, his fingers tightly clenching my skin. He made my head move up and down in a vertical pattern, "That means the same as 'affirmative.'"_

_Odd... humans have such strange ways of communication. How could the movement of the body be interpreted as a word? The very thought was baffling._

_I felt Orochimaru's hands leave my face, and there was a pause. I heard his footsteps fade away, and then come back._

_"Okay... extend your hands," he said. I did so._

_"This is a circle..." he said, placing a round, smooth object in my hand. He soon took it away._

_"This is a square..." he said, placing an odd object with pointy corners in my hand. He continued this for all of these "shapes." I disliked the triangle the most. It was far too pointy._

_"Now... let that image appear again... what do you see?" Orochimaru asked me._

_I observed the image._

_"I see... two ovals evenly spaced apart from each other and a triangular object in the middle that extends downwards. There is a line underneath the triangular object... and that is all I can describe..." I said._

_"Ah... I believe what you see is my face. What I look like. I never intended for this to happen, but I guess it can't cause any harm..." Orochimaru said, "I guess whenever someone talks, you will see their face."_

_Interesting. I cannot see except when someone talks. But what where the things other than darkness? Colors? Colors seemed wonderful... but which colors were which? This was all so confusing..._

_"Now... I have made you a jutsu that will allow you to sense any inanimate object. You will have to learn to hear and/or smell living creatures, I'm afraid. Don't worry... I can teach you that..." Orochimaru said._

_I felt his hands caress mine. Apparently I have the body of a human. Orochimaru's skin was very cold and unpleasant to feel. He made my hands form these odd positions. All of a sudden I felt a brief surge of energy as these lines suddenly appeared everywhere in my vision. What was going on?_

_Orochimaru's hands left mine. I stood and walked over to a collaboration of lines and felt it._

_"That is a chair..." Orochimaru said._

_I felt several other objects, and Orochimaru named them for me. This was all so fascinating!_

_"Now, now. We have plenty of time to teach you things. And believe me, I will teach you several things..." Orochimaru said._

_I nodded, "Orochimaru?" I asked him._

_"Yes?" Orochimaru responded._

_"'Orochimaru' is your name, correct? A name is what a human is referred to, right? Am... am I human? Do I deserve a name?" I asked him._

_"You are not human, but you are very close to one. I'd say you are superior to any human, since you have a phylactery..." Orochimaru said. I saw his face have a big grin across it. Now that I recognized what faces where, I now knew what the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hair were and all of the expressions they could make. Humans could not learn this fast! What was I?_

_"What is a 'phylactery'?" I asked Orochimaru._

_"Sorry... I got off track there. It will be explained to you in due time. Now, for your name..." Orochimaru paused for a bit, "It shall be 'Otoshi.' A fitting name, if I do say so myself."_

_"Oto" meant "sound" and "Shi" meant "four" or "death." Most likely "death" in this situation. "Sound-death?"_

_"Why am I named 'Otoshi?'" I asked Orochimaru._

_"You are a member of the Sound Village, which I constructed, and you will bring death to all that face you..." Orochimaru said. I saw the grin on his face again._

_"I see..." I said. Was this my purpose? Was I... just a weapon?_

* * *

"So... it looks like we're sharing a room..." Naruto said. He and Sakura were in a basic office that had now been cleaned up and fitted with two beds.

"Don't get any ideas..." Sakura said angrily.

"No! It's nothing like that!" Naruto urged, "I... I just want to talk..."

"About what?" Sakura asked, sitting down on her bed. Naruto sat down on his.

"What are we going to do if we survive?" Naruto asked grimly.

"Don't have a negative attitude! We're going to survive!" Sakura exclaimed.

"No, Sakura! We don't know if we will survive!" Naruto said, raising his voice, "We have _no_ idea if we're going to survive! And _if_ we do survive, what will we do? This village will _never_ be the same again! What if what is happening here has spread across the whole _world?_ What if we're not just the only survivors in this village, but the only survivors in the entire world!"

Sakura was taken aback by this sudden outburst.

"We have no idea if Gaara and them will arrive safely!" Naruto continued, "For all we know our reinforcements could be the walking dead already! Plus, what if Kenokami or Otoshi or some other Akatsuki people find us here? How prepared will we be? What if they attack us at night? We will be completely helpless!"

"Naruto, stop! Please! You're scaring me..." Sakura pleaded. Naruto sighed and laid down on his bed, looking at the ceiling.

"Sorry, it's just..." Naruto apologized, "I... I don't know what to do..." Naruto turned his head to look at Sakura.

"Neither do I... I... I thought we were all going to be okay, but now that you said those things..." Sakura said quietly.

"Well, I guess the only thing we can do now is sleep..." Naruto said, "Good night, Sakura."

"Goodnight, Naruto," Sakura said.

Naruto closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Tsunade was fixing the sheets on her bed when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said.

The door opened, and Jiraiya walked in. Tsunade stopped making her bed and turned around.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Well, I'm sorry!" Jiraiya exclaimed. Apparently Tsunade's voice sounded a bit agitated.

"No, no. I'm not pissed at you or anything," Tsunade sighed, "just a bit frustrated..."

"How?" Jiraiya asked.

"It's just that... I haven't really slept at all yesterday and today was... horrible. 'Horrible.' What an understatement..." she said, "Why exactly _did_ you head here? I doubt you would know about the village's condition, since those two rogue Akatsuki members are trying to keep this confined in this village..."

"Well, an eerie feeling came over me, like an ill omen. I just had to see what was happening here after that..." Jiraiya said, "...and on my way here, a cloaked man warned me not to head here..."

"Was he-?" Tsunade began.

"No. He was not an Akatsuki member. His voice gave me the chills, though..." Jiraiya interrupted. Tsunade's eyes became wide with shock.

"Madara!" she exclaimed.

"What? _That_ was Madara?!?" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"I'm positive of it! He revealed himself earlier today, and he attacked me! His voice gave me chills as well!" Tsunade said.

"Why... why would that scumbag show his face here?" Jiraiya asked.

"Perhaps to... investigate what his sister had done!" Tsunade gasped, having a sudden realization.

"What are you talking about? The only Uchihas left alive are-" Jiraiya began.

"Yes, Sasuke, Itachi, and Madara are alive, but one of the rogue Akatsuki members attacked Shino before he was... killed... and she revealed herself to be an Uchiha! That's what Sakura told me," Tsunade said.

"...There seems to be more to this than I originally thought..." Jiraiya said, "Madara grabbed my wrist before warning me not to head into Konoha, and his grip was as strong as steel. I could also feel his vast amounts of power. Isn't he around ninety years old, though? _Nobody_ can still be _that_ strong at ninety!" Jiraiya exclaimed, "Did he reveal his face to you?"

"Yes, he did..." Tsunade said grimly, "...he looked around twenty. Before his hair was long, as his statue at the Valley of the End shows. I attacked him, but he _caught_ my hand, and he was unharmed by it, even though that should've _at least_ broken all of the bones in his hand! He effortlessly defeated me..."

"This isn't good. Let's hope Madara leaves us alone... but then again, I _want_ to find out more about him. How is he still strong? How is he still youthful? How exactly did he summon the Kyuubi? And why did he form Akatsuki?" Jiraiya asked.

"If only we knew the answers to those questions..." Tsunade sighed, "Well, I'm _really_ tired right now, so I'd appreciate it if you would leave."

Jiraiya nodded, "Right. Night."

"Good night," Tsunade said as she laid down on her bed and pulled the sheets up. Jiraiya closed the door and turned off the lights.

Tsunade soon began to stir fitfully...

* * *

_I suddenly awoke with my head throbbing. I clutched my head, my hands slightly cleansing the sharp pain. The pain soon went away. Did I have a bad dream?_

_All of a sudden I saw a horrible sight. Blood. Blood was everywhere. Blood stained the sheets of my bed and it covered the floor, leaving a messy trail going underneath the door. Was I supposed to follow the blood?_

_My body seemed to move itself. I got off of my bed and followed the trail of blood. I was terrified and shaking horribly, but my legs seemed to move themselves. What was going on?_

_My trembling hand turned the doorknob and slowly pushed open the door. Why couldn't I control my body?_

_The blood continued into the lobby. I was worried even more now. My fears that something terrible had happened were escalating every second. I wanted to turn back, to run and hide under the sheets of my bed, but I could not. My feet moved me closer and closer to the lobby._

_I gasped in horror as I entered the lobby. No longer did my legs move._

_The corpses of everyone were piled on each other, like a child that had grown bored of its toys and had tossed them all away. Blood covered the floor. The corpses of everyone were halfway eaten and/or horribly mutilated. I shrieked in horror and tried to run, but my legs would not obey._

_In front of the pile was a hunched-over woman with blood-matted blonde hair fashioned into two ponytails. She was wearing a tattered, torn green robe. The woman... was me! What was going on? I am feeling a fear that I have never felt before._

_The copy of me turned around to look at me. I felt vomit rush up into my mouth as I threw up on the blood-covered floor._

_She... it... looked exactly like me, except the face. That horrible face. It was a spitting copy of my face with pure white eyes, but the right half of it was bloody and decomposed, dark red rot and flesh covering it. The right eye was missing and some maggots were crawling on that side of the face. It then opened its mouth, revealing the brown, rotting teeth stained with blood, pieces of flesh caught between them. It got up from the mass of corpses, shambling towards me. Her white outfit she wore under the green robe had several rips in it, the skin that was exposed from the rips always being the wound from a blade._

_"No! NO! GO AWAY!" I shrieked, taking some steps back. I was truly terrified of this... thing._

_"Why are you so afraid of yourself?" my own voice answered me. No. This was not my voice. This voice was more vile and sadistic. It came from the zombie's direction, but its mouth did not move._

_"What are you talking about?" I fiercely asked the creature as it got closer and closer. I could not move at all, no matter how hard I tried._

_"The needle that woman punctured you with earlier today? The one you dismissed as nothing?" my doppelgänger spoke with that eerie form of telepathy, "It wasn't nothing..."_

_I remembered it all. How all of those headaches started after that had happened. What was that liquid?_

_"That liquid..." she said, "...created me."_

_My legs somewhat worked now. I took a few steps back as she took a few steps forward._

_"What?" I replied, confused, "Look. Just go away! Leave me alone!"_

_That mouth with the hideous teeth moved and seemed to make a crazy grin. The shambling steps made by my doppelgänger became more frequent, but my legs did not quicken with hers._

_"Why should I?" she responded._

_Tears began to fall down my face, "Just stop!"_

_I felt my back touch the wall. I turned my head slowly to see that I was in a corner, with no escape. My doppelgänger continued to approach me._

_I suddenly felt my hands clutch something. A kunai! I could kill her and be done with this horrible nightmare! She was feet away. She lunged at me, and I plunged the kunai deep into her forehead, right where her chakra seal was. She stumbled back..._

_...and pulled the kunai out of her head!_

_"How!?!" I asked her in fear, "Y-You're supposed to die when that happens!"_

_"You don't get it, do you?" she replied, her mouth still in that twisted grin of hers. She came closer and closer. I closed my eyes and cringed in fear._

_I felt her warm, haggard breath on my face. It smelled of blood and death. It took all I had to not vomit again. I opened my eyes and gasped in shock. She now looked exactly like me, except for the pure white eyes!_

_"Silly woman..." she said, her mouth moving now, "...We are both one and the same. You cannot kill me, because I am you. That liquid infected you with this jutsu. You will turn any time now! You are infected!"_

_Her voice saying "infected" echoed through my mind over and over again. This... couldn't be!_

_All of a sudden my doppelgänger's face changed back to the rotted one as she dug her mouth into my neck._

----------------------

Tsunade awoke with a scream. She saw the clock: 1:32 A.M. Jiraiya burst in the room, looking panicked.

"What's the matter?" he said, panting.

"Just... just a bad dream, Jiraiya..." Tsunade said, breathing heavily. She could feel her heart beat in her chest. She shrugged off the dream. After all, it _was_ just a dream. Right?

"Okay... well, good night, Tsunade," Jiraiya said once more as he left the room, closing the door.

"Good night, Jiraiya," Tsunade said as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep once more, unaware that Jiraiya would be the last person she would ever speak to...

----------------------

_"Wake up, honey,"_ _a familiar man's voice said, "It's a brand new day!"_

_I stirred and woke up. Dan was grinning at me._

_"I made breakfast, so hurry up and get ready!" he exclaimed as he left the room._

_I got up out of my bed and got dressed and headed downstairs. Dan stood by the table, smiling. I sat down and ate._

_"You know, the solar eclipse is going to happen near noon today," he said, "It's going to be absolutely beautiful!"_

_"I can't wait!" I replied._

_When we finished our breakfast, the clock said 11:34 A.M._

_"We better hurry!" Dan said, "We're going to meet Nawaki and Shizune at the balcony of the Administration Building!"_

_Dan grabbed my hand as he led me to the Administration Building._

_"Good morning, Lady Hokage!" a man greeted us as we entered the Administration Building. We were soon on top of the balcony, looking over the village. Nawaki and Shizune were there waiting for us._

_"Hello, Lady Tsunade!" Shizune greeted us._

_"Hey, sis!" Nawaki said with a wave._

_"I haven't seen you ever since you've left on that mission!" I exclaimed, leaving Dan's hand to embrace Nawaki, "You've grown into a fine young man."_

_"Cut it out, sis!" Nawaki exclaimed, grinning, "I'm fine!"_

_I smiled as I let go of him._

_"The eclipse will start soon!" Shizune exclaimed._

_As the moon came between the sun, a large shadow began to envelop the village. Soon the moon was completely in front of the sun, the sun glowing behind it._

_"It's so beautiful..." I said as my lips met with Dan's. I was so happy! Everything was so wonderful!_

_Then I heard a horrible noise. The scraping of metal. I stopped kissing Dan and looked around._

_"Is something wrong, Tsunade?" Dan asked._

_I saw what was making the noise._

_Below, walking towards the Administration Building, was a hooded executioner. His axe drug against the ground. He raised a hand and pointed it at me..._

----------------------

Tsunade awoke with a cold sweat. She saw the clock once more: 3:33 A.M. She could swear she heard metal scraping against the ground in the distance, but maybe that was still echoing in her head from the dream.

The dream. Tsunade remembered the terrifying first one, but now she was thinking of the wonderful second dream, before the executioner showed up.

_I don't want to live anymore..._ she thought, _...I'm going to turn soon, and Shizune was the only reason I didn't kill myself over Nawaki and Dan's deaths. She's gone now... If I continue to live, I'll just be another undead problem to everybody..._

Tsunade got up out of her bed, tears in her eyes. She reached into a pouch on the ground near her robe and pulled out a kunai. It hovered over her wrist. All she had to do was make a nice, clean, cut vertically down the vein in her arm, and it would soon be over...

Her hand began to shake.

_Why can't I do it?_ she thought.

Then the image of that vein being cut open popped into her head. Blood... so much blood. She could not do it due to her fear of blood.

_I'm weak..._ she thought, _I can overcome my fear to heal people, but I can't overcome it to kill myself... I'm weak and pathetic. I'm not fit to be Hokage..._

Tears began falling from her eyes as she dropped the kunai on the ground.

She heard metal scraping against the ground now. It was much louder, coming from outside her door. She stopped crying for a moment to stare at the door.

There was definitely something metal scraping against the ground. So that noise caused the executioner to appear in her dreams. But why? What was the noise? She had to find out.

Tsunade got up and slowly and cautiously approached the door. Her shaking arm slowly inched towards the doorknob. It clutched the doorknob and slowly turned it.

Tsunade gasped and stepped back, the tears flowing out of her eyes once more.

Shizune stood at the doorway. Her eyes were soulless and completely white, her mouth was hanging open, some saliva dripping from it. She had somehow managed to beak the chains holding her shackles! That was the noise! It was her shackles dragging against the ground!

Shizune moaned as she lunged at Tsunade, grabbing on to her. Shizune brought her mouth to Tsunade's neck and tore into it. Blood dripped down her neck as terrible pain came from it.

Tsunade laughed in her head.

_How ironic... Shizune and I will be reunited as the undead..._ she thought, _I'm... so.. sorry everyone. Forgive me..._

A final tear fell down her cheek as her vision blackened. There was a bright light that was small. As she approached the light, making it grow, she saw Nawaki and Dan smiling at her. She continued to approach the light...

Shizune stopped eating the now dead Tsunade. She slowly backed away from Tsunade's corpse, which began to twitch.

Tsunade opened her eyes, which were now pure white. She moaned as she slowly began to get up...


	15. Chapter 15: Day 2's Beginning

The Necromancer, Chapter 15:

_Orochimaru had taught me several things over the course of a few days. He has told me many things about humans. Orochimaru has told me that most humans are rather oblivious and simple-minded; most of them are simply tools to be used. He says there are a few exceptions, though. Humans sound very pathetic according to Orochimaru. He has taught me the skill of "jutsu," which is utilizing chakra through hand seals and converting it to another form using the force of the soul. I specialize in darkness ninjutsu. Orochimaru seems very shocked by this, since he says there are only five elemental jutsus: fire, water, wind, lightning, and earth. There are apparently no darkness jutsus that exist. Odd. I am not so good at genjutsu._

_Nevertheless, he has told me to meet him in the Training Room. Orochimaru's Sound Village is such a wonderful place. It's all underground and secluded from normal people, and all of the ninja there give me their undying respect. But before I met anybody, Orochimaru made me tie a Sound Village headband around my eyes. I wonder why? I still saw the lines that were inanimate objects and the images that were the faces of people. Oh well. Orochimaru said he would explain everything to me in due time._

_I saw the door of the Training Room, and I opened it. I heard Orochimaru breathing on the opposite side of the room. Already my senses of smell and hearing are making up for my lack of sight._

_"Ah, hello, Otoshi," Orochimaru said._

_"Hello, Orochimaru," I said, bowing, "Why did you request I come here?"_

_"To train you..." Orochimaru said, "...in the art of swordsmanship. Using the sword can be a type of taijutsu..."_

_I heard Orochimaru walk over to me, an object in his hands. He handed it to me. It was a sheathed katana. A weapon used to kill. I unsheathed the sword, a wonderful noise coming from the sword._

_I then heard a disgusting retching noise coming from Orochimaru._

_"Are you okay?" I asked him._

_"Perfectly fine... I just had to retrieve my sword..." Orochimaru said, "Now, you know how to use a sword right?"_

_"You hold it by the hilt and swing it like this?" I asked him, demonstrating a few swipes with the sword._

_"Yes... I put all of my knowledge of fighting with a sword within your phylactery... let's see if I did it correctly..." Orochimaru said, "Come! Attack me!"_

_I did as I was told. As I ran towards Orochimaru, all of this data suddenly entered my head... combat strategies. I now knew how to perfectly use any blade regardless of size._

_We tangoed with our swords for a while, neither of us able to land a blow on each other. Fighting sure was exhilarating!_

_We both stopped, obviously tired._

_"Well, I guess I put my knowledge in your phylactery correctly... taijutsu using a sword is now probably your forte," Orochimaru said. We both sat down, tired._

_"What is a 'phylactery'?" I asked him._

_"Patience, Otoshi. Time will tell," I said._

_I frowned. Orochimaru had so far avoided all of my questions that had to do with what I was._

_"Fine. I will tell you one thing about you..." Orochimaru said. He must have seen my frown of disappointment, "...you want to know why you cannot see? Why you must have the headband over your eyes?"_

_There is a reason I am blind and why I must have a headband over my eyes? I must find out!_

_"Yes!" I exclaimed, very excited._

_"Very well... it is because of these special eyes I have given you. The 'Ryuukugan...'" Orochimaru said._

_Ryuukugan? Special eyes? I had a doujutsu?_

_Ryuukugan... "Ryuu" means "dragon," "ku" means "nine," or "suffering," probably "nine," and "gan" means "eye." Eye of the Nine Dragons?_

_"What... what does the Ryuukugan do?" I asked Orochimaru, eager to discover what power he gave me._

_"The Ryuukugan is one of my finest creations. I attempted to make a mighty doujutsu that I could use in the future, but of course I could not experiment on myself. That's where you came in, Otoshi. I created your body, and before you were granted life, I created the Ryuukugan. No matter what I tried, the Ryuukugan would not be able to grant sight like any normal eye. But at the cost of vision, the Ryuukugan contains one of the most potent and powerful genjutsus ever made. Anyone who gazes at your eyes will fall under a form of mind control, completely obedient to your commands. Except me, of course. Only I am immune to the Ryuukugan," Orochimaru said, "I named it the Ryuukugan due to the royalty of dragons."_

_"What does the 'nine' have to do with it?" I asked Orochimaru, interested to learn more._

_"That," Orochimaru said, "is a tale for another day."_

_Disappointment filled me. Oh well, I guess I should be thankful that he explained my eye vision at all. A few moments passed by._

_"Orochimaru?" I asked him._

_"Yes?" he replied._

_"Do you... see me as a weapon? A disposable tool like most of the other humans?" I asked him cautiously._

_"Not at all, Otoshi. You are... very unique. One of my finest creations. In fact, I would go as far to call you a son-like figure to me," Orochimaru said. The flash I saw of his face showed him with a happy smile on his face. A smile I had not seen before._

_A warm feeling came from inside of me. Orochimaru... father? I am not of a "family" because I was not created by the union of an egg and sperm. I guess Orochimaru meant I was a figurative son. So Orochimaru would be my figurative father!_

_I embraced Orochimaru._

_"Thank you, Father," I said. Orochimaru hugged back. This felt so wonderful!_

* * *

Jiraiya woke up, yawning. He glanced at the clock next to him: 3:56 A.M. He always woke up early, and he could never fall asleep after he awoke. It was so annoying.

Jiraiya slowly exited the bed, stretching and yawning. He heard a loud noise from Tsunade's room.

"Hmm? What could that be...?" Jiraiya muttered to himself. He heard another loud noise, jolting him from sleepiness.

"I'd better look..." Jiraiya said quietly. He would _not_ at _all_ be prepared for what waited for him...

Jiraiya walked down the hallway, and he saw Tsunade's door slightly ajar, some noises coming from within. Jiraiya, concerned, open the door to feel his heart skip a beat or two in terror.

Jiraiya stood, mouth agape, at the two zombies that were once Shizune and Tsunade.

_No... no! This is all a dream, and I will wake up, and Tsunade will be fine..._ he tried to convince himself, but the illusion he was painting himself was shattered when Shizune snarled and lunged forward, attempting to sink her teeth into Jiraiya's neck.

Jiraiya struggled against Shizune. He finally managed to form a small rasengan. He shoved it in Shizune's face, mutilating it, as Shizune fell, dead permanently.

Jiraiya panted, staring with hate at Shizune's corpse. He then heard a moan nearby. He snapped out of it and turned to look at Tsunade.

Her constant appearance-changing jutsu was beginning to wear off little by little. Already Jiraiya noticed some wrinkles on her arms, but Tsunade's face remained beautiful, her now white eyes enhancing her beauty. Jiraiya began to cry. The love of his life was now dead, and she would never be normal again. After all, nobody survived the Sun Village massacre. None of the victims could be cured... not even by the combined efforts of Chiyo and Tsunade...

Tsunade shambled closer and closer to Jiraiya.

_What do I do?_ Jiraiya thought, _I'll bind her up so she won't hurt anybody! Yes, that will-_

His thoughts were silenced as his eyes fell upon Shizune's corpse. Shizune was bound up with steel shackles, and she still managed to escape.

Jiraiya had no choice. He had to kill Tsunade to protect the remaining people of Konoha. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. The tears continued to fall from his eyes.

"Tsunade! Please! Snap out of it!" Jiraiya hopelessly pleaded to Tsunade, who made no sign of ceasing her movements, "I... I love you..."

Tsunade moaned and lunged at Jiraiya, who was now prepared to do what had to be done. He pulled out a kunai, closed his eyes, and jammed it in her forehead. He heard Tsunade's moan die in her throat as her body fell to the ground.

Jiraiya opened his eyes as he saw Tsunade dead on the ground. The tears unleashed themselves from his eyes, fully letting themselves fall. Jiraiya knelt down and picked up Tsunade's dead body, cradling it in his arms. He soon calmed himself down and laid her body down, closing her eyes and cleaning up the wound on her forehead.

Jiraiya sighed heavily. He knew that she would die someday, with her being Hokage during the Akatsuki's increasing activity, but he never expected it to be so soon... he hadn't really prepared himself for this...

Jiraiya picked up Tsunade and Shizune's corpses and slung them over his shoulders. For now, he was Hokage. He had to swallow his sadness and deal with the current situations. Jiraiya left the Administration Building through the secret passageway, being careful not to wake Naruto and Sakura.

No zombies were around, or else he would hear their moans. He walked over to a spot. He looked up, and saw the stone face of Tsunade looming over him. Jiraiya picked up a nearby shovel and began to dig.

Once he had made a deep enough hole, he placed the bodies of Shizune and Tsunade in them, side by side. They looked almost peaceful, if it weren't for Shizune's mutilated face. Jiraiya looked away as he began to cover the hole. Once he was done covering the hole, he placed the shovel aside and sadly walked back into the Administration Building...

* * *

Naruto stirred in his sleep. He felt someone shaking him roughly and he heard the person shaking him crying.

"Stop... cryin..." Naruto said sleepily, "Stop... shakin me..."

"Naruto! Please wake up! Lady... Lady Tsunade... is... is... DEAD!" Sakura cried.

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he jolted into a sitting position.

"W-What?" Naruto asked in shock.

_No, no, NO! Now Tsunade's just another name on the death toll? This can't be!_ Naruto thought.

_**Of course she is,**_ the Kyuubi mockingly commented, _**everyone important to you is going to die here...**_

_I thought I told you to shut the fuck up,_ Naruto growled back at the Kyuubi.

_**Whatever, but the longer you ignore the truth, the harder it will be to accept it when it happens...**_ the Kyuubi sighed.

Naruto was pissed at the Kyuubi, but he couldn't help to notice that the Kyuubi's words were very true... they all were going to die. He saw no realistic way out of this village alive. He knew that they were all going to die, but he couldn't accept it. There was a part of him that kept saying that what the Kyuubi said was not true.

"Shizune..." Sakura began, pausing to wipe some tears from her eyes, "...just get dressed and go to the lobby. Jiraiya-sensei's holding a funeral of sorts there..."

Sakura left the room, loudly sobbing.

_That's right... Tsunade trained her,_ Naruto thought, thinking that it was now disrespectful to call her "Granny Tsunade," _so Tsunade must have been important to Sakura..._

Naruto got dressed, his body doing everything subconsciously. He was too busy thinking that he would never, ever be able to speak to Tsunade again. He missed his chance to apologize for his actions in the past. There was so much he hadn't done, and now he could do those no more.

"Naruto, h-hello..." Naruto heard Hinata whisper. Naruto snapped out of his trance. He was in the lobby, and everyone else that remained was sitting in chairs, looking saddened. Naruto took a seat in the only empty chair left. It was next to Hinata.

"Now that everyone's here..." Jiraiya said quietly, "...as you probably know, we lost a Hokage and a wonderful woman last night. Tsunade is dead..."

The information everyone knew pelted him or her once more. Jiraiya then began to speak about all of the times he shared with Tsunade, along with all of Tsunade's good traits and generally how good of a person she was. Naruto was not listening. The words of the Kyuubi echoed through his mind.

_'Everyone important to you is going to die here'..._ he had said. Those words had plagued his mind ever since they were spoken. They were the truth. He did not want to accept the truth, just like a naïve child.

"...I...I just wish she was still here..." Naruto heard Jiraiya sob.

"ENOUGH!!!" Naruto yelled in anger. Everyone stared at him.

"...What?" Jiraiya asked, slightly pissed.

"Why are we moping around with Tsunade's death? You think she'd want us to sit around and cry all day? NO! We should instead focus on surviving as long as we can, which won't happen very long!" Naruto continued.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jiraiya yelled back, "How _dare_ you disres-"

"NO!!! DON'T YOU GET IT!?!" Naruto yelled, "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! SITTING AROUND CRYING IS NO WAY TO DO THINGS! AT LEAST WE SHOULD KILL THE BASTARDS THAT DID THIS BEFORE WE DIE!!!"

Jiraiya growled in anger as Naruto stormed off to his room.

Sakura began to get up.

"Leave the ungrateful bastard alone..." Jiraiya spat. Sakura sighed sadly and sat down.

Hinata quickly got up and ran off after Naruto.

Otoshi, hidden in the shadows, grinned deviously.

_Oh, how I want to make a smartass comment... but I shall respect the dead..._ he thought as he silently snuck into Naruto's room to see the commotion.

* * *

Naruto slammed the door and sat on the bed, clutching his head.

_**Of course they won't understand, boy...**_ the Kyuubi said, _**...they are simple humans. They do not know the truth.**_

"You think I don't know that?" Naruto growled, "Why can't they understand? Tsunade wouldn't want this! She wouldn't!"

There was a knock at the door.

"Go the fuck away!" Naruto yelled in anger.

"N-Naruto... please... I... I want to t-talk to you..." Hinata's quiet voice said from behind the door, "Y-you were right... when you talked out there..."

"Come in..." Naruto said, sighing heavily, a bit annoyed, as he collapsed on his bed.

Hinata slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

"Do you not want me here?" she timidly asked.

"No... that's not it. The complete opposite. I want someone to talk to..." Naruto said.

Hinata nodded and walked over and sat next to Naruto's head. Naruto sat up on the bed and looked at Hinata, who timidly turned her head away, blushing.

"Why are you so shy all of the time, Hinata?" Naruto asked.

_**She wants to plow you, you moron...**_ the Kyuubi said.

_Huh?_ Naruto responded to the Kyuubi, who heavily sighed.

_**You know... she wants to grind with you?**_ the Kyuubi said. Naruto was still confused.

_**She wants to sharpen your pencil? Impale herself on your pole? She wants you to open her door with your key? She wants to polish your spear?**_ the Kyuubi continued, hoping one of these phrases would register in Naruto's head.

_What are you talking about?_ Naruto asked, clueless.

_**She wants to have sex with you, idiot...**_ the Kyuubi said angrily.

_I don't see what our gender has to do with this..._ Naruto said back. There was a moment of the Kyuubi growling in anger.

_**INTERCOURSE! SHE WANTS INTERCOURSE WITH YOU!!!**_ The Kyuubi screamed, _**I... need to get away from your stupid for a while...**_

Naruto finally realized what the Kyuubi was trying to say.

"Well... I... I... I..." Hinata tried saying, placing her two fingers together, but her face turned a deep red as she turned away.

"You like me, don't you?" Naruto asked with a sly grin.

Hinata mumbled incoherently as her face turned a deep scarlet.

"It's okay, Hinata... I've known for a while... well, ever since Jiraiya-sensei told me about his suspicions of you during our training together..." Naruto said, "I'm not the oblivious brickhead I was three years ago..."

Hinata was trying to catch her breath. Apparently, she had gone into a bit of hysteria upon hearing Naruto's recognition of her love for him.

"S-s-s-so...?" Hinata asked in anticipation.

"I don't know... I mean, Sakura..." Naruto began, trying not to hurt Hinata's feelings.

Hinata bowed her head. She seemed to have been delivered a crushing blow.

"I... understand..." Hinata said quietly, "I... should've not been so shy, I guess... I was... beaten to the punch, I suppose..."

Naruto hugged Hinata tightly. Hinata let out a surprised whimper. She heavily blushed and hugged him back.

"But-?" she began, her breath tickling Naruto's ear.

"I said I don't know, Hinata... Sakura sure can be mean at times, and I'm not sure if she really likes me..." Naruto said, "But... this feels nice. You were the only one that came to comfort me after my outburst... you sure are nice, Hinata..."

Hinata was in a moment of ecstasy. Could this be real? Naruto? Actually informing he likes her? Actually showing signs of love for her?

"I'm... scared, Naruto," Hinata said, burying her face in Naruto's shoulder.

"Huh? Why?" Naruto asked, but he knew why.

"About what you said... how we're all going to die..." Hinata said quietly. She let go of him and looked into his face with sadness.

"The Kyuubi said that to me. I denied it at first, but... how else will we survive through this? There used to be thousands of people in Konoha! And most of them are all zombies now! I don't think some reinforcements from Suna will help at all..." Naruto said sadly.

"Now I'm scared, Naruto... that fox monster in you... talks to you?" Hinata asked.

"Yes... but I ignore it most of the time..." Naruto said, "...so there's nothing to worry about. It's not like he can do anything to me..."

_**Keep talking, bitch...**_ the Kyuubi growled.

"Will you protect me, then, Naruto?" Hinata asked, hugging Naruto once more, "Protect me from the rogue Akatsuki and the zombies?"

"I will, Hinata. I swear I will..." Naruto said.

Otoshi observed this silently, being one with the shadows.

_Awww... how touching. This will be fun once I start skull fucking everyone with me Ryuukugan..._ Otoshi thought, grinning, as he slipped elsewhere into the building.

* * *

A ray of light peeked through the window mostly covered by the haphazardly shut curtains. The light fell on Madara's face, warming it. Madara stirred a bit and opened his eyes. The building was the same; nothing had attempted to interrupt him in his sleep. He felt his chakra system working naturally. It had repaired itself from Neji's attack.

_My sister is still here..._ Madara thought, _...but so are the Hokage's group, those damned Hyugas among them._

Madara got off of the couch and walked out of the house, closing the door. Several zombies slowly turned towards him. Madara paid no attention to them at all. He began to walk towards the Administration Building.

_I can easily dispatch Reiko anytime I want to..._ Madara thought, _...I might not get a chance to play with the survivors of the Konohagakure massacre again..._


	16. Chapter 16: Otoshi's Secret

The Necromancer, Chapter 16:

Otoshi was now in the lobby. They were still holding that silly little funeral of theirs, even after that Kyuubi kid's truthful little mini-speech.

_Stubborn fools..._ Otoshi thought, _...I think it's time for a little fun..._

If someone was looking at the floor they might have noticed a lone shadow move to the middle of the room, but they were all focusing on Jiraiya.

Otoshi suddenly materialized from the shadow, leaving everyone in the room shocked for a few moments.

"Hello," Otoshi said, making a little wave.

"Don't trust him! He attacked us earlier!" Kiba exclaimed, pointing at Otoshi. Akamaru made an agreeing bark.

"In that case..." Jiraiya said, beginning to make some hand seals. Otoshi sighed and quickly removed his headband. He then looked everyone in the eye, their bodies becoming limp as he did so.

"You people are _so_ annoying!" Otoshi complained, "All of you... just stay here. Don't. Do. Anything... except breath and all of those necessary living things..." Otoshi said as he put his headband back on and began to walk towards the room Naruto and Hinata were currently in.

Sakura came out of a room with a box of tissues. She wiped some more tears from her eyes as she sat down. She then noticed nobody was saying anything. They were all just staring into blank space.

"Hello? Anybody?" she asked. Nobody responded. She walked up to Jiraiya. Jiraiya's eyes did not move, even when she waved her hand in front of his face, "Stop it! You're really freaking me out!"

Of course, she knew this wasn't a prank. Something very bad was happening. She futilely shook Jiraiya to try to make him snap out of it, but nothing happened.

"What's going on?" she asked nobody in particular. She knew someone... or something... was causing this. She then ran off to check every room to see if someone was doing something, forgetting about Naruto and Hinata for a moment...

* * *

Otoshi slipped under the crack beneath the door. He materialized in the middle of the fairly large room.

"Pardon me, but am I interrupting something?" Otoshi said, grinning deviously.

Hinata released Naruto and scampered into a corner.

"I'm s-scared, Naruto..." she whimpered.

Naruto, however, stared at Otoshi's face with extreme anger. He wanted nothing more than to rip that sneer off of Otoshi's face.

"You... DIE!!!" Naruto screamed as he charged at Otoshi. Otoshi grabbed Naruto and tossed him against a wall.

"Now, now. It is _very_ unwise to fight me in close combat..." Otoshi chastised Naruto.

"SHUT IT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" Naruto yelled, quickly summoning a shadow clone to form a Rasengan in his hands, "I'LL AVENGE IRUKA!!!"

Naruto thrusted his palm at Otoshi, who easily dodged it by moving out of the way right before it hit him.

"People with sight are so... _handicapped_..." Otoshi said as he continued to dodge the repeated attacks, "...you are born with sight, and you depend on it. I, on the other hand, I _hear_ where your Rasengan will end up going. Therefore, I can dodge it so easily..."

Otoshi grabbed Naruto's wrist and twisted it. Naruto bit his lip to suppress the pain, causing it to bleed. Naruto slammed his fist down on Otoshi's hand, causing Otoshi to momentarily let go as Naruto shoved his Rasengan into Otoshi's chest.

Otoshi yelled in pain as he spun towards a wall, slamming into it.

"There's more where that came from!" Naruto taunted Otoshi, who slowly got up.

"Not bad..." Otoshi said, "...Unfortunately for you, I wasn't even _trying_ to hurt you. How about I put some effort into things, huh?"

Naruto growled at Otoshi, making tight fists.

"You see... I have a doujutsu just like this village's Byakugan or Sharingan. Mine, however, is far superior. Observe!" Otoshi exclaimed as he untied his headband. Otoshi suppressed the Ryuukugan's power so Naruto would not be affected by it.

Naruto gazed upon the randomly wandering eyes. The eyes with blood red sclera, black irises, and blazing red pupils that filled him with an indescribable sense of dread.

"The power of the Ryuukugan... to sway anyone to your will... like that girl over there you seem to like..." Otoshi said, pointing at Hinata.

"IF YOU DO ANYTHING TO HER, I'LL-" Naruto yelled.

"No, no. _I_ won't do anything to her, but _you_ might..." Otoshi sneered as he stared straight into Hinata's eyes. Hinata's arms fell to her side as she slowly stood up.

"H-Hinata?" Naruto fearfully asked.

"Sorry, Hinata's not here right now. Please leave a message after the beep!" Hinata said, grinning creepily. Hinata then slammed her palm into Naruto's face, "BEEP!"

Naruto stumbled back, clutching his face. He turned to Otoshi.

"Let her go, you fucker!" Naruto yelled as he charged at Otoshi, who just stood there with that mocking grin of his, his evil eyes randomly switching directions independent from each other, like the eyes of a chameleon.

"Don't forget about me!" Hinata exclaimed as she grabbed Naruto's hair and pulled him back towards her. She then elbowed him in the face, sending Naruto behind her. Hinata then turned around and activated her Byakugan. Hinata took the signature Juuken fighting stance.

"How? How do you know?" Naruto asked Otoshi, slightly growling.

"Curious, are you?" Hinata said. Otoshi was adding insult to injury by speaking through Hinata, "Well, I might as well tell you. Once I control someone, I gain their knowledge... this girl _really_ likes you, Naruto..."

"Stop being a coward! Let Hinata go!" Naruto yelled.

"Hmm... nah. I don't feel like it," Hinata said as she began thrusting her palms at Naruto, who dodged the attacks.

"Please, Hinata! Snap out of it! I don't want to hurt you!" Naruto futilely pleaded.

"It's worthless. This girl is under my complete control," Hinata said.

"NARUTO!!!" Naruto heard Sakura yell as the door burst open. Sakura delivered a sickening punch to Otoshi's face. A horrible crack was heard as Otoshi's neck snapped, twisting it 236 degrees from its normal position. Otoshi fell to the ground like a limp doll. Hinata shook her head.

"What happened?" Hinata asked, "All of a sudden everything went black..."

"He..." Naruto spat, pointing at Otoshi's corpse, "...controlled you with his eyes. The 'Ryuukugan' he called them."

"That's why everyone in the lobby didn't move!" Sakura exclaimed, "It was his... 'Ryuukugan' eyes!" Sakura exclaimed, piecing together what she had just experienced, "...but I've never heard of a 'Ryuukugan' before..."

"He did it to the others!?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"They're fine!" Sakura exclaimed, "Who was he, anyway?"

"A slimeball rogue Akatsuki called Otoshi," Naruto said, "we encountered him once and I guess he used his Ryuukugan to make us not attack him. The second time we met, he killed Iruka... I wish I could've avenged Iruka-sensei's death, but the thing that matters is that he's dead now."

"You're mistaken," Otoshi said as he got back up, snapping his neck back into place with three gut-retching cracks, "I'm still alive. That wasn't a very nice thing you did there, Pinky."

The three gasped, wondering how he was still alive. They all decided to charge at Otoshi, who quickly made some hand seals and turned into shadows.

"Not just yet," Otoshi said as he retreated, "I want some more fun with you survivors..."

"Coward!" Naruto yelled.

"Not now, Naruto! We need to check on the others!" Sakura urged Naruto. Naruto reluctantly agreed, and the three ran off to the lobby.

* * *

_"What did you want to tell me, Father?" I asked Orochimaru. He said he wanted to discuss something important to me today, and now here I was, awaiting Orochimaru's information._

_"Ah, you've come, Otoshi. I suppose you want to know just what you are, am I right?" Orochimaru asked._

_Excitement filled me. I would finally find out! After a month I would finally know what I am!_

_"Well, obviously you are not human. But you are very similar to one, except you have a 'phylactery.' You know this already, correct?" Orochimaru asked me._

_"Yes, Father," I said, "...what is a 'phylactery?' Will you please tell me?" I asked him._

_"A phylactery is an altered soul," Orochimaru said._

_...Soul? What is... a soul? I repeated those very same words to Father._

_"A soul is what makes every human being unique. Different from each other. A soul is essential for life," Orochimaru said. The flash I saw of his face showed a serious, cold look on my Father's face, "without a soul, you are practically dead, for you will have no consciousness at all. But all humans are born with souls. Souls contain, besides the essence of life, the personality of the person."_

_"Do... I... have a soul?" I asked Father._

_"No. You are not human. You are the first success in creating an 'artificial human.' I have created artificial humans before. I call them homunculi. The process is simple. I take harvested flesh, organs, hair, and such and smooth them out to look natural. Then I extract the soul from someone and alter it to my will, placing it inside the shell. Then the homunculus is born. Unfortunately, all of my homunculi before you have shown little to no emotion. Upon further research, altering a soul causes most of it to be destroyed, leaving only a small fragment of a soul. That is why these homunculi had no emotions: they had no room to store them in!" Orochimaru explained._

_This was all so shocking! Orochimaru had seemed so... kind before. But now he was talking about harvested organs and extracting souls from innocents! Is my Father... evil?_

_"So," Orochimaru continued, "the 'Sirius phylacteries,' as I dubbed them, had little room for emotion. The homunculi worked, but they were so boring and they could only obey their command and not learn anything new like a human could. So I made a hypothesis. If one soul made a small phylactery, then several souls would make a large phylactery!"_

_The flash of Orochimaru's face showed that he had a sinister grin on his face. Father... he is scaring me right now... I don't like it._

_"Just... Just how many innocent people did you kill to make my phylactery?" I fearfully asked._

_"Oh, just a hundred or so," Orochimaru yawned._

_I gasped in terror. I was made from the deaths of a hundred innocent people?_

_"It's no big deal, really," Orochimaru continued, "because my hypothesis worked. This large number of souls created a large phylactery. A 'Regulus phylactery,' I called it. This phylactery was the same size as a normal soul. You were a homunculus I made just as a host for the Ryuukugan, but I decided to also test the first Regulus phylactery on you as well! It was a marvelous success! You had human emotion! Human thoughts! You could learn and adapt and all of these splendid things!"_

_"But... a hundred innocents died to make me," I said gravely. I was angry at Father. How could he do such unspeakable evils?_

_"Otoshi... son... you must realize that they died to create you, a tremendously powerful force!" Orochimaru exclaimed._

_"I don't care!" I cried out, "I would never want innocent people to die!"_

_I heard Orochimaru's footsteps getting closer and closer as tears fell from my eyes. Was this... sadness?_

_"Calm down, Otoshi," he said as he hugged me._

_"LET GO OF ME, YOU MONSTER!!!" I shouted, striking my Father across the face as I retreated a few steps back._

_"Otoshi! Get a hold of yourself!" Orochimaru yelled. I stopped crying, "Those people were criminals! People who killed innocent people for fun or profit! Is it not right that I granted justice to these lowlife killers?"_

_"...Why didn't you say they were criminals? Why did you say you killed innocents?" I asked._

_"I'm deeply sorry... I must have spaced out there for a moment," Orochimaru said. Although something told me he was lying, I still forgave him. It was the tone of his voice._

_And so that is what I was. Finally I knew. I was a twisted experiment made to perfectly resemble and act like a human._

_"Wait... why exactly was I given the Ryuukugan?" I asked Father. Father did not respond for a while, "Father?" I asked him once more._

_Orochimaru slowly walked up to me, "They are a gift. A gift to my 'son.' Just like these two gifts I shall give to you..."_

_All of a sudden I felt a tremendous amount of power in Orochimaru's hands._

_"What-?" I asked him._

_"I am giving you half of my chakra, Otoshi. Consider this an honor. Half of my strength, now yours," Orochimaru said as he touched my chest, his chakra flowing into me. This power felt wonderful!_

_"Also... I shall give you this gift: a curse seal of your very own," Orochimaru said as he bit my neck. He had told me about these curse seals before, and now I would have one! This was great! After a brief moment of pain, I finally had a curse seal. Then a thought hit me._

_"Thank you, Father, but... why are you giving me these gifts? Why now?" I asked him, slightly worried._

_"I'm leaving and I might not return," Orochimaru said._

_"What?" I asked, shocked, "Why?"_

_"I'm leaving to destroy a village that I was once part of. They did not approve of my experiments. I shall kill those criminals that did not approve..." Orochimaru said, "...and you, my Son, are too precious to accompany me. You shall stay here. If I am to die, I want you to take over my position as the leader of the Sound Village, understood?"_

_I... I didn't know what to do! This was all so sudden! Yet my mouth moved for me._

_"Yes, I understand, Father..." I said, "I... I love you."_

_"I love you too, Son," Orochimaru said as he hugged me and then began to walk away._

_Please come back safe, Father..._


	17. Chapter 17: The Terror of the Ryuukugan

The Necromancer, Chapter 17:

_I was doing my daily wandering of the Sound Village, always hopeful that I would overhear information about Father. But since most of the Sound Village had also left with Father, it was tough stumbling across conversations. Although today was my lucky day. I heard several people cheering nearby. I approached the noise to see what was going on._

_"Lord Orochimaru is alive! He has come back!" they cheered. I smiled as I headed towards the noises._

_"Get away from me!" I heard Orochimaru yell painfully, "My arms!"_

_I smelled his familiar scent of death masked by grapes. An odd scent indeed. He passed by me, and I felt his arm graze mine._

_"Watch where you are going!" he spat at me._

_"But... it's me, Otoshi!" I called out._

_"I'm sorry, Otoshi, but Lord Orochimaru is not feeling well right now... he possibly cannot use his arms ever again..." Orochimaru's assistant, Kabuto, told me, "If you want... you can follow me."_

_I nodded and began to walk, following Kabuto's footsteps. Soon we entered a room. Orochimaru was laid down on a bed. Kabuto grabbed my shoulder and lead me near Orochimaru._

_"Are you okay, Father?" I asked him worriedly._

_"I'm fine, Otoshi..." Orochimaru said quietly, "Kabuto... we need to find Tsunade once I recover."_

_"Tsunade? But-" Kabuto exclaimed._

_"Silence! Tsunade is the only one who can heal my arms! And once my arms are restored... Sasuke's body will be mine!" Orochimaru said._

_"But, Father!" I said, "Can't I help you? Who are Tsunade and Sasuke?"_

_"No, Otoshi. You are far too important to me to risk losing. Kabuto will accompany me," Orochimaru said half-heartedly._

_"Father... do... you still love me?" I asked him, biting my lower lip. I was not feeling loved at all._

_Orochimaru sighed heavily, "Yes, Otoshi, I love you..." he said._

_"You're... lying..." I said quietly, a bit mad, "...why don't you love me?"_

_"No, I do love you, Otoshi. I'm just... not in the mood since my ARMS!!!" he said, screaming out the last word in pain._

_"Please get better soon, Father..." I said, leaving and closing the door as Kabuto treated Orochimaru's wounds._

_Father... please be telling the truth..._

* * *

_I entered the room Father was in. He was still in his bed, obviously ill. His four elite bodyguards, the Sound 4, looked down at him. I didn't really know them... they certainly seemed odd, though. From their voices I saw their appearances. There was a large one with a small face, Jirobo; a scary man with six arms, Kidomaru; a pretty woman with fiery red hair, Tayuya; and a man wearing makeup with another identical man coming out of his back... Sakon._

_"I want you four to get Sasuke for me..." he said. His attempt to get this "Tsunade" to heal his arms had failed._

_"Wait, Father... shouldn't you send me? I could easily make this 'Sasuke' person come with me..." I asked him. I could feel all eyes on me. I could not see them, but I could tell that they were hateful stares._

_"Otoshi... you must understand that you are very important to me. If I lost you, I wouldn't know what to do..." Orochimaru lied._

_"NO!" I yelled, "YOU USE THAT EXCUSE ALL THE TIME! WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH!!!"_

_I stormed out of the room and entered my room, collapsing in a corner and crying._

_Deep down, I knew he was telling the truth, but... was he?_

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata burst into the lobby as quick as they could. Everyone looked at them.

"There you are, you little punk!" Jiraiya yelled as he saw Naruto. He began to advance towards the boy with the fox whiskers on his face.

"Thank goodness all of you are okay!" Sakura exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Shikamaru sighed.

"Otoshi... he's here, and he just used his Ryuukugan thing on you all..." Naruto said.

Jiraiya froze in place upon hearing the name 'Otoshi.'

"Is s-something wrong, Jiraiya-sensei?" Hinata asked shyly from behind Naruto.

"Otoshi? Ryuukugan? What are you talking about?" Kurenai asked fearfully.

"He's that rogue Akatsuki my group encountered earlier," Naruto said, "from the Sound. He had long black hair and his headband over his eyes... he's not with Kenokami and that girl he's with. Otoshi used his eyes to control you all, along with Hinata. Sakura broke his neck, but he got up and snapped his neck back into place like it was nothing! He can also merge with the shadows to escape! And Jiraiya-sensei... I apologize for being an ass during the funeral... but right now we have more important things to focus on than death. Grieving will only slow us down."

Jiraiya seemed to snap out of a trance, shaking his head, his white hair bobbing left and right. He looked at Naruto and smiled, "Forgiven. Y'know, you're really maturing, Naruto."

He then turned to the rest, an anxious look on his face, "This is bad. This Otoshi is a very dangerous opponent. I've heard about him... one look at his eyes and you're under his control."

As if on cue, Otoshi emerged from the shadows, waving to everyone.

"Hello, everybody!" Otoshi cheerfully exclaimed, slipping off his headband. The movement was too fast for anyone to see coming. Everyone's arms fell limp, except Naruto's. Otoshi grinned at Naruto, his grin almost stretching from ear to ear.

"Let them go!" Naruto indignantly yelled. Otoshi cackled deviously.

"No, no! I am going to rape your mind! Fuck your skull! I am going to psychologically torture you with the people you care about!" Otoshi cackled madly. Something seemed to have snapped in Otoshi's head. He was not acting normal, despite Naruto only knowing him for a few hate-filled minutes.

Naruto growled in anger as he ran at Otoshi, thrusting his arm at him, a whirling ball of chakra forming in his palm. Otoshi ducked slightly, the rasengan singing his hair, as he grabbed Naruto's wrist and used the boy's momentum to fling him over his head. Naruto flew into the wall behind Otoshi, slamming full force into it.

Otoshi cackled as he saw the scene. He then swiftly raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Everyone under the Ryuukugan's control quickly ran off elsewhere in the building. Otoshi slowly approached Naruto, who had straightened himself up. Naruto formed ten shadow clones, which charged at Otoshi, who quickly unsheathed his normal katana and quickly cut each Naruto across the chest, ending by slicing the real Naruto, who fell down from his clumsy charge. He clutched the wound in pain.

"No fun..." Otoshi said quietly, "...I'll play with you in a different way..."

Otoshi made the same hand seals he had made earlier as he began merging with the shadows.

"Get back here you coward!" Naruto yelled as he ran towards the shadow Otoshi sank into, stomping on it. Of course, this did nothing. After all, it was just a shadow.

"Naruto! It's okay! He's gone!" Naruto heard Sakura exclaim. Naruto whirled around and sighed in relief as he saw Sakura stroll up to him. She slipped her arms around him, embracing him, "Everything's fine..." she assured him. Naruto hugged her back, but something wasn't right here...

Naruto shoved Sakura away from him, "Release her, you son of a bitch!" Naruto demanded.

"Why would I do that? I wouldn't have any fun!" Otoshi spoke through Sakura. Sakura ran towards Naruto and swung her right fist at his face. Naruto ducked and did a sweep kick to trip Sakura. Sakura fell, but she caught herself with her hands and she pushed off of the ground with them, doing a flip and landing on her feet. She ran at Naruto again, swinging her fist at him once more. Naruto dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way as Sakura's fist collided with a wall, making a rather large dent in it.

"I hate you, Naruto!" Sakura said indignantly, "I've always hated you! I wish you would die!"

Naruto stopped briefly. He knew Otoshi was forcing Sakura to say those words, but the anger in her voice felt so genuine... it hit him hard. Naruto closed his eyes, trying to think of how to deal with this situation...

* * *

Madara was outside of the Administration Building. As expected, the zombies were ignoring him completely. After all, whom would they obey: his inferior sister, or the man who created the jutsu? Unfortunately, he could not completely control the undead, but he could make them ignore him. He was fine with that.

"Hmm... Jiraiya is in there... he is the strongest of the Sannin. Also, there are several powerful jonin along with jonin-power chunin in there... I should not go in alone..." Madara mused to himself, "After all, Kakuzu could have easily defeated the group that encountered him, but he underestimated them and their numbers overwhelmed him... it was a shame he had to go... wait..."

A grin appeared on Madara's face. He formed a complex series of hand seals that he had used to use Reiko's parents against her. Black gas emerged from Madara's fingertips as it split into two orbs that shot off into different directions. Madara waited, since the second orb would not be back for a while.

"Well, these survivors know who I am right now, anyways... no point in disguising myself..." Madara mumbled as he reverted to his appearance when he was thirty-six. His long black, somewhat spiked hair fell down his back. He brushed some of it out of his eyes as one of the black orbs came back. It hit the ground next to Madara, forming a ring of black mist. Bright blue smoke emerged from the center of the ring as it formed a humanoid shape, soon changing colors and solidifying into Kakuzu as the black gas vanished.

"...What is going on?" Kakuzu asked, looking around, obviously confused.

"Welcome back, Kakuzu," Madara said. Kakuzu turned to look at Madara.

"Madara? You're back? But..." Kakuzu said, "...you died? What is happening?"

"I brought you back, Kakuzu," Madara said, "Konoha is in ruins due to my jutsu being used against my will by my 'sister', Reiko Uchiha. Actually she is my great-granddaughter... I had to disguise as her brother to train her... look, it's long and complicated, okay?"

Kakuzu nodded slowly, kind of understanding what was going on. He looked at his left hand, which was missing his Akatsuki ring.

"Hey! Where is my ring?" Kakuzu exclaimed indignantly.

"You were replaced. The jinchuuriki of the five-tailed wolf, Kenokami, took your ring and your place in Akatsuki. He has recently betrayed Akatsuki along with Reiko," Madara said, "Why a _jinchuuriki_ would join _Akatsuki_ baffles me. That man must be really unintelligent to do something as stupid as that..."

Kakuzu chuckled a bit at the stupidity of this Kenokami person, "Perhaps... perhaps Pain is taking things a bit differently..." Kakuzu theorized once he stopped laughing, "You never know... he was always mysterious around the others, and honestly, I was supposed to raise money to help take over the world, but I have never been ordered to get money... I just did it in my free time..."

"Perhaps... we'll find out after we eliminate Reiko and these survivors..." Madara said, "...but first we must wait for Sasori to arrive. His corpse is rather far from here..."

"What about Hidan?" Kakuzu asked.

"...Who?" Madara asked.

"He was my partner..." Kakuzu said.

"Must've joined after I left... Hidan... let me try to find him..." Madara said, closing his eyes in thought. After a bit, he said, "...He's not dead."

"Really?" Kakuzu asked, not interested.

"I can still bring him here using only part of the Revenant Jutsu..." Madara said.

"Do so, then... we worked great as a team..." Kakuzu said.

"Right," Madara nodded as he preformed only part of the complex hand seals for the jutsu he used to bring back Kakuzu. The black gas formed an orb and shot off. Soon, it came back significantly larger. The orb of black gas churned around and soon deposited Hidan, who was now completely put back together. Hidan blinked a few times, looking at his body.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUUUUUUCK!!!!!" Hidan shouted, jumping up and down.

"Is he mad?" Madara asked Kakuzu.

"No, those are fucks of happiness and joy," Kakuzu responded, grinning under the cloth covering his mouth.

"I can't believe it! I'm fucking in one piece again!" Hidan exclaimed.

"You can thank Madara here... he brought you and I back from the grave," Kakuzu said.

"Whoever you are, you are my fucking hero," Hidan said, bowing at Madara.

"Uh... thanks?" Madara replied, unsure of how to answer the man's gratitude, "I'll need you to assist me in killing people."

"This day just keeps getting better!" Hidan smiled.

_What an odd man..._ Madara thought.

That's when the second orb of black gas appeared. It formed a whirling ring on the ground next to Madara, and bright blue smoke shot up from the center, soon forming into the crimson haired puppet master.

Sasori looked at his body, "...I'm... alive?" he asked, "But... I... was happy..."

Madara frowned and made a hand seal. Sasori twitched for a bit, closing his eyes and then reopening them.

"Hello, Master Madara..." Sasori said, although there was something different about his voice. Kakuzu and Hidan took no notice.

"Now, Kakuzu, since you are not a puppet... your body is decaying as we speak... you will need to devour souls of the living to maintain yourself... not even I can completely resurrect the dead, but I have come very close..." Madara said.

"Eh, not too much of a big deal. I'll just take the souls along with the hearts," Kakuzu said. His face sank as he said that, "...wait, how many hearts do I have?"

"Unfortunately, you will need to retrieve more hearts..." Madara said. Kakuzu growled quietly when he heard this. Madara continued, "Just like how Sasori will need to make more puppets... a minor setback, but it must be bared with..."

"So, when shall we go in?" Sasori asked.

"We shall observe the current situation..." Madara said, making some hand seals. Madara, Kakuzu, Sasori, and Hidan suddenly turned completely invisible.

"You will pass through any substance in addition to not being able to be seen and detected..." Madara said, "...this jutsu is the perfect jutsu for stealth."

Madara walked through the walls of the Administration Building, the other three following him.

* * *

(A/N: Yes, they're back. I've been having some complaints about the villains becoming too powerful, so I'll say this: don't panic. I know what I'm doing with the villains... just wait and see... beside, Orochimaru can Edo Tensei the Hokages... this isn't very different...)


	18. Chapter 18: Otoshi Attacks

The Necromancer, Chapter 18:

_I stayed with Father for three more years. He neglected me, but I could not leave. After all, where would I go if I left here? I have no knowledge of the outside world..._

_One day, everything had gone to hell. So many people were shouting, running around... I was so confused. I hid in my room, for it was too chaotic to look for Father. Soon everything died down. I heard footsteps approaching as my door opened._

_"Who are you?" I demanded to the intruder._

_"...Are you Otoshi?" the man asked. I saw his face. He had odd spikish styled black hair. The most unusual thing was his red eyes with four pupils; three of them shaped like commas... the sharingan? But Father told me that the Uchiha clan was wiped out..._

_"...I am Otoshi... who are you?" I quietly replied._

_"I am Sasuke Uchiha," the man said. This was the man Father had been looking for!_

_"Why are you here and what do you want?" I asked him._

_"I've been here for the past three years," he replied. I gasped. I had no idea! Why was Father... no... why was Orochimaru hiding everything from me, "I'm guessing Orochimaru did not tell you... I'm going to go out and say it: Orochimaru is dead. I killed him."_

_I don't know what I felt, but it hurt badly. The area around my heart tightened._

_"W-why?!?" I asked, too afraid to attack a man strong enough to kill Orochimaru. That pain in my chest still remained..._

_"I killed him because he was going to take over my body... I wouldn't let him. Also, you have no need to fear me. Orochimaru is dead only because he was on his deathbed, and that was it," Sasuke said, "All that noise was me setting most of his experiments and subjects free. You see, I came looking for you because I once read Orochimaru's journal... I saw it as I killed him, and I couldn't live with myself if this 'Otoshi' didn't know the truth..."_

_Truth? A journal written by Orochimaru? This was it! I would find out why Fa... Orochimaru hated me..._

_"Umm... I cannot see... I am blind," I said quietly._

_"Then I'll read it to you..." Sasuke said. I heard the sound of a book being opened as he flipped through the pages._

_"July 17: Success! It actually worked! I created the first Regulus homunculus AND the vessel for the Ryuukugan! This day cannot get any better! I can already envision the day I take over his body and use the eyes I created to rule the world!" Sasuke read, "July 23: Hmm... this Regulus homunculus, Otoshi, is almost like a human. _Too _human. He's already showing emotions and trying to form a relationship with me. If I tell him he is merely a tool... a mere vessel for me since implanting the Ryuukugan into my own eyes would be far too risky... I do not know how that will affect his mind... I better keep it a secret from him..."_

_I paused, letting the information sink in. I was just a tool... a vessel. Orochimaru never cared for me... he didn't see a son in me... he saw a future body. I knew this man was telling the truth... it all made sense. Why else would he neglect me? But... his love for me seemed so genuine! Was he lying or not!? AHHHHH!!!_

_"Say no more, Sasuke..." I said calmly, even though my mind was tearing itself apart, "...you may leave..."_

_I heard the book close as it was placed down. I heard footsteps heading away from me. After he had left, I screamed as loud as I could. Everything I knew... all of my life was a lie! About those 'criminals' Orochimaru mentioned... where they innocent people? I have no doubt that they were innocent. Orochimaru is a monster! His men are monsters! ALL OF THEM DESERVE TO PERISH FOR THEIR CRIMES!!!_

_I unsheathed the sword Orochimaru gave me... Murasame... and ran out of the room, cutting down any sound ninja that stood in my way! Just to spite Orochimaru, I would take the thing most precious to him... that ring on his old hand!_

_A few hours had passed since then... I cannot remember much. My inner beast must have taken over me, for I smell the scent of blood all over my clothing and my sword. I'm holding something in my hand... it is his ring. I slipped it on my left little finger, and it fit perfectly._

_I had made up my mind. Orochimaru was going to use my eyes to take over the world for his diabolical purposes... why should I put them to waste? I'll use the control these eyes grant to make a perfect world for me... it will give me purpose! That is what I need... a purpose... and my purpose will be to command the human race! Command them to do whatever I wish! Now... my first step is to get out of this base... there are so many rebellions now that Orochimaru is dead... this base is not safe!_

_I ran down the corridors, twisting and turning, until I finally came to the exit route. I ran up the slope, and finally I emerged above ground. I ran and ran, not sure of where I was going, but soon I would find civilization, and that civilization would be mine..._

_What I did not expect was to bump into someone whom I was unable to detect!_

_"Watch where you are going..." the man said. A different voice coming from the same man spoke, __**"I say we kill him!"**_

_"W-who are you?" I asked._

_**"We are**__ Zetsu..." the man spoke. He appeared to have an unusual case of Dissociative Identity Disorder in which the multiple personalities cooperated and coexist at the same time!_

_"I... I have no-" I began._

_**"Look! On his left hand!"**__ Zetsu exclaimed. There was a pause, "Excelllllent... you obtained Orochimaru's ring... you have no idea how long we were waiting for our tenth member, and now with that ring..."_

_"What... what are you talking about?" I asked._

_"Obviously __**you are quite strong**__ to even manage to get the ring in the first place... follow me... let me tell you of Akatsuki, and you can tell me about yourself..." Zetsu said._

_I nodded and followed him. This would be interesting... but if this organization interfered with my eventual rule... I would have to leave them..._

* * *

"You can't think in the middle of a fight!" Sakura exclaimed as she rushed at Naruto, swinging another fist at him. Naruto opened his eyes and quickly ducked, tripping Sakura as he dove forward. Naruto did a small somersault before he got up, turning around to see Sakura getting up.

_Dammit! What do I do?_ Naruto thought, _I have no idea if the control can be broken and I can't hurt her! Wait! That's it! Sorry, Sakura..._

"It's hopeless! Give up!" Sakura yelled as she rushed at Naruto once more. She slammed her fist in his face. A puff of smoke appeared around Naruto as it quickly vanished, a log in the place Naruto stood moments ago. Sakura gasped as she turned around, only to have Naruto's fist collide with her head, knocking her to the ground and knocking her unconscious.

"Well, I've figured out how to stop everyone from attacking me, Otoshi! Release everyone!" Naruto shouted out.

"Silly, silly, Naruto..." Hinata spoke, walking into the room. She was wearing a twisted, sadistic smile only Otoshi could give her, "...that was just one on one..." Kiba and Akamaru followed Hinata into the room.

"Fuck you, Otoshi, you son of a bitch!" Naruto yelled angrily, the red chakra of the Kyuubi flowing from him.

"Fang over Fang!" Kiba shouted out as he and Akamaru leapt at Naruto, whirling around at high speeds. Naruto gasped, seeing no way to dodge the attack. Both of them slammed into Naruto, knocking him into a wall. Naruto endured the pain. When Kiba stopped spinning Naruto elbowed him in the face, knocking him out as well. Akamaru sunk his teeth into his arm. Naruto cried out in pain as he hit Akamaru several times until his bite loosened and the dog fell next to his master. Naruto formed several hundred shadow clones as they split up and searched the place to knock all of the others controlled by Otoshi unconscious.

"Oh... I forgot about your troublesome shadow clones..." Hinata sighed. She pulled a kunai out of a pouch on her outfit and held it up to her throat, "I don't want to kill this beautiful girl... so please call off the shadow clones..."

Naruto grinned. He didn't worry. A shadow clone behind Hinata delivered a nice hook to the back of her head, knocking her out.

"The game is over, Otoshi. Reveal yourself!" Naruto demanded. A shadow broke off from the others and emerged from the ground, gaining a humanoid shape and color until Otoshi was standing before him.

"Peh, no fun... you are no fun..." Otoshi said. He took off his headband and stared at Naruto with the Ryuukugan, with full intent to control him.

"What's the matter? Can't control me?" Naruto asked smugly, not knowing why he wasn't controlled.

"YOU! How the _fuck did you figure out a way to avoid my control!!!_" Otoshi hissed. Naruto grinned and pulled up a bit of his shirt, pointing to the seal on his stomach. He put his shirt down.

"It's impossible to control me with that..." Naruto said, making a random guess, "...as long as the Kyuubi's chakra is empowering me!"

"Hmm... the only way I see how that is possible is that controlling you would cause the Kyuubi to possess your body... but the Fourth Hokage's seal specifically only lets the Kyuubi possess you if you tap into enough of its power... therefore, it is impossible for me to control you due to that seal and the paradox that would be made if I were to control you..." Otoshi growled. In truth, Otoshi had no idea how he knew this... the information just came to his head.

"Sure, let's go with that! But you'll pay for using all of my friends as pawns!" Naruto yelled angrily as he charged at Otoshi.

Otoshi sighed and unsheathed Murasame, his ordinary katana, "Fine, if you want another ass-whooping, I'll gladly oblige," Otoshi said as he slid to the right moments before Naruto swung his fist at Otoshi's face. Otoshi swung his sword at Naruto's back, pausing before it connected with the boy's back.

"One time I could have killed you," Otoshi said, "I'm betting I'll get to thirty-six kills until I get bored and actually kill you..."

"Shut up!" Naruto said as he made fifteen shadow clones. They all charged at Otoshi. Otoshi smirked and swung his sword in a wide arc, "killing" the six shadow clones heading towards him. He then ducked low to the ground and spun around on one foot to avoid the other shadow clones and to face them at the same time. He thrust his sword upwards into a shadow clone's stomach, leaping up in the air to avoid two shadow clones that dove at his legs. He landed harshly on them, making them vanish in a puff of smoke, he quickly jabbed his sword at five shadow clones. The final clone snuck up on Otoshi from behind with a kunai, but Otoshi punched the shadow clone in the face (by forming a fist and sharply raising his arm) without turning around.

"Come now... I thought you could've proven a little bit more challenging..." Otoshi said. Naruto growled and made several more shadow clones, which all charged at Otoshi. Otoshi showed no worry and made some hand seals. The shadows formed into physical spikes that speared every shadow clone in the chest, destroying them. Otoshi yawned as the shadows reverted to normal.

Naruto growled and charged at Otoshi, forming a rasengan. It became empowered with the Kyuubi's chakra, turning it red and making it swell to a larger size. Otoshi did nothing as he made a hand seal, the shadows beneath him rising up and becoming an orb in his hand. The orb formed into a physical shield. The rasengan hit it, not able to go through the shield. The rasengan soon faded, and the shield broke apart into small shadow spikes, which flew around and dashed at Naruto, cutting him in random spots before turning into ordinary shadows again. The Kyuubi's chakra quickly healed the wounds.

"Face it, kid... I outclass you. Give up," Otoshi said, picking up his headband and tying it around his eyes again.

"NO!!! I'LL NEVER GIVE UP!!!" Naruto yelled as the red chakra around him formed into a fox like shape, a single tail of red chakra forming behind him. Naruto ran on all fours towards Otoshi as the red chakra lashed out at Otoshi, seemingly having a mind of its own, as it formed into clawed arms that struck at Otoshi. Otoshi gasped as he felt the energy moving towards him. He quickly dodged the chakra arms heading at him, one of the arms barely missing him.

_Hmm... the kid's getting better..._ Otoshi thought as he darted towards Naruto, zigzagging quickly at him. Naruto could not hit Otoshi due to his quick zigzag pattern of dashing. When Otoshi was close to Naruto, he slid towards him and did a spinning, jumping, uppercut-like slash at Naruto. The sword did not penetrate the red chakra billowing out of the bestial Naruto, which now had two tails. Otoshi gasped as more chakra arms headed towards him while he was still in mid-air. He could not dodge these in time. The arms slammed into him and pushed him against a wall, cracks appearing on the wall after Otoshi made contact. The arms retracted into the chakra, and Otoshi slumped to the ground.

Otoshi quickly got up, unsheathing Masamune and sheathing Murasame. He charged at Naruto. Madara, Hidan, Kakuzu, and Sasori were currently invisible, observing the fight.

_So... this man is fighting Minato's son? Both are very impressive... but that man... how did he get MY SWORD?_ Madara thought. He would wait and observe some more, though.

Masamune easily cut through Naruto's defensive chakra.

_How!?!_ Naruto thought in shock as the blade cut deep into his right arm. Otoshi quickly pulled the blade out and leapt back, ducking, to avoid the chakra arms that had lashed out at him. He zigzagged at Naruto again, but the chakra arm fanned out in all directions towards him unexpectedly. A few of them grabbed hold of him, while Naruto formed another rasengan empowered with the Kyuubi's chakra. Otoshi was restrained and he could not form any hand seals since his arms were held apart. He smiled at Naruto as the rasengan was planted into his chest. Otoshi coughed up blood as the arms released him and he spun around quickly as he flew into a wall, falling down motionless, blood pooling from his chest and a crack in his head.

The Kyuubi's chakra began to fade as Naruto almost fell. He was having difficulty staying conscious. He grinned at the corpse of Otoshi and gave him the middle finger as he passed out.

* * *

"-ruto! Naruto! Wake up!" Naruto heard a woman plead. He felt his body being shook roughly. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing familiar pink hair.

"Sakura, calm down, will ya?" Naruto smiled weakly.

"Oh! You're okay! I'm so relieved!" Sakura exclaimed as she hugged Naruto tightly, her hair brushing against his face. She soon released him, helping Naruto up.

"So, is everyone okay?" Naruto asked.

"We're all free from the Ryuukugan's control," Jiraiya said, "Otoshi seems to be dead, but..."

"I don't think he is..." Naruto said, "...he didn't die when Sakura snapped his neck earlier."

"Yeah, Sakura said the same thing..." Jiraiya said, "Ken and Megumi checked his body... he shows no signs of life, but still..."

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"The two medical-nins we saved from the hospital," Ibiki said, walking into the room, "they've been mentally scarred by what has happened to this village. So it's understandable that you would forget about them since they haven't said a word since we rescued them."

Ken and Megumi walked up to Ibiki. They were wearing standard medical-nin outfits, and they both had short brown hair, but Megumi's hairstyle was more of a bobcut.

"T..." Ken managed to sound out, but his voice was incredibly raspy. He cleared his throat, "His body is most unusual..." he said.

"He's not human..." Megumi said quietly.

"The way we should dispose of his body is incineration..." Ken suggested. As soon as he said 'incineration,' Otoshi sprung up.

"Fuck that! You're not fucking burning me alive!" he shouted as he quickly made some hand seals and fused with the shadows again.

The group stared oddly at the spot where Otoshi once was. They blinked a few times.

"Great..." Jiraiya growled, "Everyone! Get in here and listen up!"

Everyone else who wasn't in the room quickly showed up.

"We are still dealing with a dangerous threat. Otoshi could emerge and attack at any time. Therefore, I order that someone will always accompany someone else. Nobody should be alone! It is too dangerous! If Otoshi is seen, _do not make eye contact with him, no matter how difficult it is!_ Quickly find one of the jonin here so we can deal with him. Judging by his recent reaction, if we completely destroy his body we should kill him," Jiraiya announced, "There are nineteen of us here. So someone will have three people accompanying them everywhere."

Everyone began forming groups.

"Sakura!" Naruto called out as he walked up to her, "I'll protect you!"

Sakura nodded, as Hinata walked up to them.

"Um... I... was... wondering if..." Hinata said shyly, pressing her two index fingers together.

"I'll protect you, too, Hinata!" Naruto said. Hinata nodded. Neji walked up to them.

"I will keep Hanabi under my watchful eye," Neji said, "so no need to worry," he finished as he walked over to Hanabi.

"Alright, the groups are: Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata; Sai and Yamato; Neji and Hanabi; Guy and Lee; Shikamaru and Kurenai; Kiba and Tenten; Genma and Ibiki; Ken and Megumi; and I will accompany Julia," Jiraiya announced, "So if you need help locating someone and you can't find them, find their partner. This will also help you locate a jonin if Otoshi attacks. You are all dismissed."

The groups left the lobby, going into their rooms to talk and relax, taking their minds off of the hell that was outside and the threats that lurked in the shadows...

* * *

"Konohagakure," Sasuke said as he walked up to the looming gates of the town, "It's been a while since I've been here... I can already tell something terrible has happened..."

"Look! Over here!" Karin called out. Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Jugo followed her voice.

"Some sort of message..." Jugo said.

Sasuke mumbled the message to himself, "'To the Sunagakure reinforcements: we are barricaded inside the Administration Building.'"

"Reinforcements from Sunagakure? What's going on?" Suigetsu asked.

"I would tell you if I knew," Sasuke said coolly, "Well, I guess it's time to pay my old 'friends' a visit..." Sasuke said, saying "friends" with extreme detest. He walked into the village, Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo following him.

Unbeknownst to Team Hebi, Deidara and Tobi were behind them; only they were several hundred feet higher than them. Deidara looked down below with his scope, seeing the message on the gates of Konohagakure and Sasuke entering the town.

"Looks like they're going in, hmm," Deidara said, "Tobi, we're landing, yeah."

Tobi nodded as they made the clay birds swoop down and land in a forested area near the gates. They dismounted off of the birds. Deidara and Tobi walked over to the entrance of the gates, following Team Hebi.

"Katsu," Deidara mumbled under his breath as the clay birds exploded in the distance. Unfortunately he didn't get to see them explode... what a waste of potential art...

Team Hebi had heard this in the distance.

"What was that?" Suigetsu asked.

"We have followers," Sasuke and Karin said simultaneously. Karin smiled at Sasuke after saying that, but Sasuke ignored her.

"Shall I take care of them?" Jugo asked.

"No... we have a much bigger problem," Sasuke said as he stopped moving. The other three stopped to listen. Everything was silent, the only sound being the wind blowing.

"What is it?" Suigetsu asked, his hand on the hilt of Zabuza's sword.

"I don't detect anything except those two followers..." Karin said.

"Shh. Listen," Sasuke commanded.

A moan was heard, and then another, and more and more moans were heard as the zombified residents of Konoha slowly appeared in their view. Sasuke activated his sharingan. Karin was a bit unnerved, because even with her chakra detection she couldn't detect the large amounts of creatures that used to be human heading towards them now.

"Get ready... a terrible jutsu has infected this town..." Sasuke said, unsheathing his Kusanagi. Jugo and Karin took fighting stances as Suigetsu unsheathed Zabuza's sword.

"Well, Atamahocho, looks like you'll get lots of blood today..." Suigetsu said to Zabuza's sword.

"Those people following us have caught up..." Karin said, pointing in the distance, a blonde man and his companion wearing an orange mask barely visible in the distance.

"This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it..." Sasuke sighed, preparing for combat.


	19. Chapter 19: Confrontation

The Necromancer, Chapter 19:

The undead villagers slowly shambled towards them, their collective moans deafening the living. The undead spanned as far as the eye could see... there were hundreds, if not thousands of them, and these were only the undead in this part of town!

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Karin said, "Those two that attacked us earlier are getting closer and closer by the second!"

Sasuke closely eyed the zombies as they approached. He saw chakra particles in the saliva of the undead.

"Karin, Jugo, I want you to stay back... if these creatures bite you, I don't know what will happen... but there is an odd chakra in their saliva..." Sasuke warned. Jugo and Karin nodded as they got close to Sasuke and Suigetsu.

"Come now, fight us, yeah!" Deidara called out.

"Not now!" Sasuke answered, "Can't you see that these people are cursed with an evil jutsu? They will get in the way of our fight! If you want to battle so bad, then help clear out this place!"

Deidara considered the offer.

"Fine, hmm..." he said, "Tobi, would you help, yeah?"

"Suuuuuuuure thing, Dei-Dei!" Tobi cheerfully exclaimed as the two Akatsuki ran up to Sasuke and Suigetsu. Suigetsu and Jugo turned towards them.

"Relax, yeah, we're not fighting _yet..._ consider us _very_ temporary allies," Deidara said as he reached into his clay pouch. Three small clay birds flew into the crowd of approaching zombies.

"Katsu!" Deidara exclaimed as the bombs detonated, scattering the crowd of undead. Suigetsu ran forward at the crowd, slicing three men's' heads off with Zabuza's sword. Sasuke formed some hand seals and fired some chidori needles at some distant zombies, spearing them straight between the eyes. Suigetsu continued decapitating zombies like it was nothing. Tobi formed some hand seals and held out his hands. Several fireballs fanned out from them, hitting the zombies and lighting them on fire. They continued to approach while they were still burning... the flames had no affect on them!

Tobi squealed as he hid behind Deidara. Deidara sighed as a large clay snake slithered over to the burning zombies. With another "Katsu!" it detonated, scattering them even more. Deidara growled in frustration that Sasuke and Suigetsu were killing tons of zombies, when he and Tobi hadn't even killed one zombie yet.

"Looks like your explosions aren't working," Karin smirked at Deidara.

"Quite a mouth you have there considering I can kill you at this moment, yeah," Deidara said, scowling at Karin.

"Sasuke will protect me!" Karin said with confidence.

"Quiet down, Karin, don't antagonize the man," Sasuke sighed as he fired more chidori needles at zombies. Karin growled slightly as Deidara sent more clay animals to explode on the zombie crowd.

"There's no end to them!" Suigetsu complained as he cleaved off the head of a woman and then slammed the flat of the blade on the head, crushing it.

"Well, there are at least ten thousand people in Konoha..." Sasuke said.

"I can blast away this whole crowd, yeah," Deidara said, "So get back, yeah."

Sasuke and Suigetsu nodded as they quickly retreated next to the others. Deidara readied a large, odd bird-like creature made of clay. Sasuke looked through the crowd of undead... he didn't really know anyone there, but he couldn't help but feel that ominous feeling that he had spoken with some of these people before...

His eyes hovered across two very familiar faces that were now those of the undead: Choji and Ino. Their mouths and clothing were stained with blood and their eyes were completely white. He hadn't known them that well, but he at least had talked with them before... and even though he disliked Ino's obsession with him, she would be a nice one to repopulate the Uchiha clan with once Itachi was disposed of... hopefully Sakura was still alive. She was annoying, but her skills had greatly improved and there was a likelihood that she had become less annoying over the years. A healer would have greatly helped back when Itachi slaughtered the Uchihas...

"Please hold on," Sasuke said to Deidara, "I need to do something quickly."

Sasuke activated his curse seal as his hair suddenly elongated and turned silver and his skin turned gray. Hand-like wings burst from his back as he quickly flew over and grabbed Choji and Ino, soaring away from the crowd. He heard the two moan as they attempted to bite him, but his curse seal thickened his skin. He deposited the two zombified former acquaintances of his far away from the crowd of the undead as he flew off. He just couldn't kill them.

Sasuke landed next to Deidara and he returned to normal.

"You may proceed," Sasuke said. Deidara nodded as he continued quickly sculpting the odd masked bird-like creature. He was soon finished as he sent the clay object into the crowd of zombies.

"Art is a bang, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed, "Katsu!"

The object made a massive explosion that wiped out the entire mob of zombies before them, completely vaporizing their bodies. Deidara laughed evilly as the smoke cleared to reveal nothing but ruin.

_He certainly is strong,_ Sasuke thought as his group began backing away from Deidara.

"Oh, right! We have to fight, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed as he turned to face Team Hebi, "Come on, Tobi."

Tobi, who was still hiding behind Deidara, peaked his head out from behind him.

"Do I have to fight them, Dei-Dei?" Tobi asked quietly.

"Yes..." Deidara sighed, "...you have to fight, Tobi..."

"Aww, shucks," Tobi said.

"You take the three... I'm taking Sasuke, yeah," Deidara said as he stepped towards Sasuke.

"You heard him," Sasuke said to his comrades. They nodded and ran at Tobi, who began running away. Sasuke and Deidara ignored their partners as they turned to face each other.

They stared at each other. Sasuke activated his sharingan while Deidara grinned, hands in his clay pouch.

"Let's begin, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed as he swung both hands out of the clay pouch, several small clay birds flying towards Sasuke. With a "Katsu!" they exploded, but Sasuke saw that move coming a mile away. He had already activated his second curse seal form and he was currently diving at Deidara's back, Kusanagi drawn. Sasuke drove the sword through Deidara's back, and it popped out of his chest. Deidara looked horrified at first, but he grinned and looked back at Sasuke.

"Think you have me, yeah? KATSU!!!" Deidara yelled as his body exploded. Sasuke grunted as the explosion took him off guard. He shielded himself with his wings, which were painfully ripped off by the explosion. He suppressed the pain for now, being grateful he was still alive. He looked around for Deidara and saw him in the air on a clay bird, grinning madly.

"How did you like my clay clone, yeah?" Deidara called out, "Was it a 'blast'?"

"Silence!" an agitated Sasuke yelled as he fired chidori needles at Deidara, who swerved out of the way. Deidara snickered.

"Come on, yeah! Try harder than that!" Deidara shouted as he quickly made a dragon out of clay that expelled several small blobs of clay out of its tail. They all exploded as they connected with the ground, but Sasuke had taken to the air. He quickly flew at Deidara, making a chidori. Deidara shook his head and easily flew out of the way only to feel a sharp pain in his back. Deidara cried out in pain as he glanced behind him and saw Sasuke.

"WHAT? HOW?" Deidara yelled.

"That was a genjutsu," Sasuke said, grinning, as he flew back down to the ground. Deidara clenched his teeth in anger.

"DAMN YOU SHARINGAN USERS!" Deidara screamed as he formed a massive serpent of clay. It quickly slithered towards Sasuke and made a circle around him, the head of the serpent craning upwards in case Sasuke decided to fly away.

_Shit!_ Sasuke thought, seeing no way out of this. The serpent made a massive explosion. Deidara laughed crazily as another chidori hit him. This time, it burst through his chest. Deidara made some shocked noises as the bird he was on fell and crashed to the ground. He looked up and saw Sasuke, who was grinning as he reverted to his normal form. Deidara coughed up a hefty amount of blood.

_Another genjutsu..._ Deidara grimly thought.

"Looks like you're too weak, Deidara," Sasuke said as he pointed a finger at Deidara, sending a final chidori needle through his head. A blood splattered from Deidara's head, a small amount splashing on Sasuke's face. Sasuke gasped as he saw Deidara's corpse change into a different man. How? This wasn't a genjutsu... Deidara wasn't the type for genjutsus. Also, his sharingan had detected nothing wrong! What kind of jutsu was this? All Sasuke could infer was that Deidara was still alive elsewhere...

Sasuke sighed, wiping the blood of the pseudo-Deidara off of his face. He leapt up on the rooftops and began looking for Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo.

* * *

"Why does he have to run away all the time?" Karin complained as they pursued Tobi.

"I don't know..." Suigetsu said, pausing to drink some bottled water, "...but he's really pissing me off!"

Jugo said nothing as he focused on Tobi in the distance.

Tobi looked back on his pursuers, whimpering slightly.

_It's okay, Good Boy Tobi,_ Tobi thought to himself, _Just be a fast good boy and you can outrun them! Yaaaaay!_

It was at that moment where Tobi gracefully ran into a tree. He fell over as some leaves from the branches drifted down, falling on him.

"Owwwww..." Tobi whined. He was on his back and he was staring up at the sky. He was dizzy from the unexpected impact of pain. He soon saw his pursuers looking down at him.

"Please don't hurt Tobi! Tobi's a good boy!" Tobi pleaded with the three.

Suigetsu growled as he lifted Tobi up.

"Too bad! You made us chase you!" Suigetsu growled as he made his arm extremely muscley. He winded back and let loose a mighty punch at Tobi's head. Suigetsu fell over with shock as his fist and his body passed through Tobi, who slightly ran off before stopping. Suigetsu fell down to the ground. He muttered under his breath as he stood up and drank more water.

"Why would you hurt Tobi? Tobi's a good boy!" Tobi said sadly.

"You're annoying! Shut up!" Karin shouted. Jugo sighed heavily.

_Antagonize the man who doesn't wish to fight... real smart, Karin,_ he thought.

"Fine! If you hate Tobi, then I will hate you as well!" Tobi indignantly exclaimed as he made some hand seals, sending tons of fireballs at Hebi. Suigetsu quickly ran in front of Jugo and Karin, using Zabuza's sword to shield them from the fireballs. The flames stopped bombarding them, so Suigetsu moved Zabuza's sword out of the way of his vision.

"Damn! Everything's shrouded by smoke from the flames!" Suigetsu cursed.

"Kill... I'll kill him..." Jugo muttered to himself.

"Great! Jugo's gonna go crazy!" Karin exclaimed, "We need to get out of here!"

Suigetsu sighed and retreated with Karin. Karin used her chakra detection to head towards Sasuke's position.

Jugo roared as he changed into his more demonic-looking form. His head immediately shot to Tobi's location. He growled and roared as he leapt up on a large branch of a tree. Tobi looked fearfully towards the man.

"Um... Tobi's a good boy? Don't hurt me?" Tobi asked, his voice quivering, "EEEEEEEEEE!!!" he squealed as he leapt down from the tree and tried to run away, but Jugo immediately was behind him. Jugo shot forward with a quick burst of speed, trying to grab Tobi and snap his neck. However, Jugo went straight through Tobi, who decided to run away in the opposite direction away from the scary man. Tobi tripped over a very small rock as he fell to the ground. He quickly turned around to see Jugo staring down at him.

Jugo picked up Tobi, a sense of satisfaction forming on his twisted face due to being actually able to touch him now, as he plunged his hand straight through Tobi's chest. Blood splattered on the ground as Tobi formed some choking gurgles as his body went limp. Jugo dropped Tobi as his demonic appearance started to recede, leaving normal Jugo. Jugo looked down at Tobi and took off his mask. Jugo gasped.

_A sharingan?_ Jugo thought, _Wait... his face is changing?_

Jugo watched in awe as Tobi's face changed slowly into that of a woman's, the sharingan vanishing as well.

_Must be some sort of powerful jutsu..._ Jugo concluded as he closed his eyes, smelling out Sasuke's scent. He opened his eyes and headed off.

* * *

Sasuke was walking towards the Administration Building, looking around in awe. Just minutes ago this place was crowded with the undead... now there was nobody around and nothing could be heard except the moans in the distance. He walked with his hand on the hilt of his Kusanagi, in case anyone ambushed him. Nobody did. Eventually Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo met up with him.

"Jugo... how did you become normal again?" Suigetsu asked.

"I don't know..." Jugo responded, "...but I managed to kill him... except it wasn't him. Upon death, he transformed into a different person."

"Same here," Sasuke said, "so we can assume that they're still alive..."

Nothing was said as they arrived at the Administration Building. Sasuke looked around with his sharingan.

"Shall I break down the barricades?" Jugo asked.

"No... I found a hidden entrance," Sasuke said as he walked over to it. He pressed the wall and slid it aside. There was a door. Sasuke sighed as he slowly opened it and entered...

As they did so, Deidara and Tobi where behind them in the distance, Deidara using his scope to see them from afar.

"That shapeshifting jutsu Leader used worked well, yeah," Deidara said, "I learned that without using my new techniques from training with you, Tobi, then I would have lost against his sharingan, yeah."

"I learned that the tall man is scary!" Tobi whimpered.

Deidara chuckled lightly and sighed as they walked towards the Administration Building.

However, from a tall building above them, Reiko looked at them from below.

"So, we attack them, right?" Kenokami asked. He was sitting by a fireplace, gazing at the flames.

"Yes..." Reiko said quietly, "...they are Akatsuki... they are our enemies..."

* * *

"Will we be safe, big brother?" Hanabi asked Neji. They were in their room, and this question came out of the blue.

"Of course, Hanabi..." Neji assured her, even though he wasn't so sure of their safety as well, "...we have several jonin and one of the sannin here. We'll be fine."

"But... what about all of the other jonin who died? Even the Hokage became one of them... I'm scared, Neji..." Hanabi whimpered.

Neji sighed. Those were his thoughts exactly.

"Just... don't worry. Everything will turn out okay..." Neji said as he hugged Hanabi, "I will protect you."

Hanabi suddenly gasped.

"The basement door! Nobody is guarding it!" Hanabi suddenly exclaimed.

There was a brief surge of shock through Neji. How could they forget something as important as that? Neji took a deep breath and maintained his cool, collected persona.

"Come, Hanabi... we'll keep watch," Neji said. Hanabi nodded and leapt off of the bed. The two quickly opened the door and silently fled through the halls, eventually arriving at the boarded-up basement entrance. Nothing had changed, but you could hear muffled banging and moans on the other side of the door.

"Byakugan!" Neji exclaimed as he activated it.

"You don't have to be such a show off," Hanabi said quietly. Neji ignored her as he used the byakugan to see what exactly was in the room before them. There was too much blood... it was ankle high, covering the room. There was a huge pile of corpses in a corner, all of them horribly mutilated and ripped apart. Five zombies were in the room... whatever they once were was now unrecognizable. Their skin and faces were mutilated with cuts and/or marks from jutsu being used on them.

_That's right... the basement has an exit outside of the village... everyone must have tried to rush out..._ Neji grimly thought as he walked over to the door.

"W-what are you doing?" Hanabi fearfully asked.

"There's only five in here," Neji said as he began to unbar the door, "I can take care of them."

"Neji, be careful!" Hanabi whimpered as she took a few steps back. Neji took a deep breath as he unbarred the door and threw it open, taking a few quick steps back. The five undead rushed out of the room as Neji took the Juken fighting stance. A man lunged at him. He struck the man's head and focused his chakra into the man's head, making his brain explode. The man collapsed just as another man lunged and grabbed Neji, who futilely tried to escape.

_I've got to save him!_ Hanabi thought, panicking, as she ran forward, biting her lip. She struck a zombie to no avail, and Neji used the rotation technique to scatter the zombies. Hanabi shielded her face with her arms as she took a few steps back. Neji began attacking the two zombies in front of him. There was just one more near Hanabi.

_I... I can help him!_ Hanabi thought as she attacked the zombie in front of her, not aware that you had to focus the chakra at the brain to make it burst. Hanabi struck the decayed, mutilated woman, who leaned down and grabbed her arm. Hanabi did not panic. She struck the woman in the head. The woman made a surprised grunt as Hanabi focused her chakra into the zombie's brain, destroying it. She sighed with relief, but she looked at her arm and her heart stopped.

The woman had bit her arm, and she didn't know it!

Hanabi kept her cool as she tried to cover the wound by pulling the sleeve of her shirt over it. Neji dealt the finishing blow to the last zombie.

"Just one more," Neji said as he turned around, looking mildly surprised that Hanabi had already killed it.

"Oh... thank you for helping, but that was a risky move... you could have been bitten!" Neji exclaimed, "Is something wrong, Hanabi? You look so pale..."

Hanabi gulped. She wanted to say something... but she couldn't. She bowed her head and shamefully revealed the wound on her arm. Neji gasped and took a step back in shock.

_No! NO! Hanabi... I can't..._ Neji thought grimly. Hanabi started to shake. Neji wanted to do something, but he couldn't. He was frozen with fear. Hanabi shuddered violently and coughed up a large amount of blood. She looked up at Neji with pain-filled eyes.

"B-brother... help me... it... it hurts..." Hanabi said quietly as she paused and suddenly hacked up a huge amount of blood. She fell to the ground since she was coughing so hard. She suddenly stopped moving.

"H-Hanabi?" Neji fearfully asked. He wanted to run, to just leave her there, but his feet would not obey him. Hanabi made a quiet moan as she slowly got up. She looked up at Neji, her hair covering most of her face, but Neji could see that her eyes were not the same. She made a hiss-like moan as she slowly shambled towards Neji.

_Dammit, legs, move!_ Neji thought, _Do something!_

But they did not do anything as his zombified sister approached him. Hanabi growled as she lunged forward, grabbing onto Neji. Neji's arms acted for him as he delivered a quick blow to her head, making his chakra storm into it. Hanabi let out a pained gasp as she fell, dead once more. Neji looked away in terror and took some steps back away from Hanabi's corpse. He bumped into someone. Frightened he turned around to see a man with odd eyes. And that was the last thing he consciously saw.

"This kid will be a useful weapon..." Otoshi chuckled deviously. Unknown to him, Madara and his group were observing him.

"I want to fucking kill someone!" Hidan exclaimed, riled up observing things.

"Yeah, this place is boring!" Kakuzu agreed.

"Just have patience... I guarantee you you'll have your fun," Madara said.

_Hmm... I would have killed that Hyuga kid... but I'll see what this man does with him..._ Madara thought, watching with interest.


	20. Chapter 20: The Last Hyuga

The Necromancer, Chapter 20:

Deidara continued to approach the Administration Building when a large cloud of smoke suddenly appeared in front of them, shrouding their vision.

"What the hell?" Deidara swore as he covered his eyes, coughing the smoke out of his mouth.

"Ooooooo," Tobi said in awe as he looked around the pretty smoke, his mask blocking the smoke's progress to his face.

"You made a big mistake coming here," Kenokami said as the smoke began to clear.

"YOU!" Deidara pointed at Kenokami and Reiko, his teeth clenched, "TRAITORS!"

"Yeah, what about it? We won't let you interfere with our goal!" Reiko indignantly shouted.

Deidara had a brief look of mild shock as he realized that the woman was the Necromancer. The Necromancer had never talked before... Deidara never imagined her to be a woman _or_ a loudmouth. Tobi was too busy waving goodbye to the smoke to care. Besides, his blissful obliviousness prevented him from caring about lots of things.

"Well, if you want a fight, then here we are, yeah," Deidara smirked.

"What? We're fighting again?" Tobi asked fearfully.

"Reiko, take the masked guy... this blond punk is mine," Kenokami said. Reiko nodded as she approached Tobi, who squealed and ran away. Reiko sighed as she made a hand seal and "stepped" into the air, instantly vanishing.

"Good... you have _no_ idea how long I wanted to kick your ass, yeah," Deidara said, "The sheer _stupidity_ of you joining _Akatsuki_ when you are a _jinchuuriki_ made me hate you so much, yeah..."

"So it wasn't one of my best choices," Kenokami said, "so what? I'm going to kill you anyways, so bring it."

Kenokami unsheathed two of his normal-sized katanas and dashed at Deidara.

_His speed!_ Deidara thought as he leapt to the right, barely avoiding the two blades. Deidara reached into his clay pouch, his hands working quickly. He had no time to make art from the clay, so he just hurled some blobs of clay at Kenokami.

"Katsu!" Deidara said as the blobs exploded. Deidara grinned as he assumed that he felled Kenokami in the blasts, but Kenokami charged out of the smoke, unscathed, and he swung the two blades at Deidara, who quickly act and caught the two swords with the mouths on his hands. Deidara smirked as the mouths broke the two swords.

"BASTARD!" Kenokami yelled as he unsheathed a tanto and stabbed it into Deidara's throat. Deidara made some choking noises.

"Katsu!" Deidara exclaimed, his voice being heard in the distance. Kenokami was confused, and he realized what had happened far too late. The clay clone exploded, sending Kenokami flying back, his tanto being incinerated in the blast.

Kenokami couldn't get up. He looked down in horror to see that his right arm had been blown off. The five-tailed wolf's regeneration powers would heal the wound, but he was still minus an arm.

"What's the matter, pup?" Deidara asked. Kenokami saw Deidara walk up him. He was smirking at him as he looked at Kenokami from below, "Does your arm hurt, hmm?"

Deidara snickered as he swiftly kicked Kenokami in the gut. Kenokami growled as he grabbed Deidara's robe and used it to get up. He punched Deidara in the face. As Deidara stumbled back, Kenokami stepped on the bottom of Deidara's robe, causing him to trip and fall on his back. Deidara defiantly looked up at Kenokami, ready to strike, only to see the tip of a sword pointed at his face.

"I still have one arm, bastard!" Kenokami growled as he thrust the sword at Deidara, who quickly rolled backwards and threw a glob of clay in front of him, detonating it to make a smoke screen.

_That incredible healing must be due to that bijuu of his..._ Deidara thought with slight worry, _so now how do I subdue him? This is going to be harder than I expected..._

Deidara was now in the air, having formed his normal travel bird from clay.

"Ha! Can't reach me up here, can you, pup?" Deidara mocked Kenokami.

Kenokami growled. This bastard was pissing him off so much...

_**Do you want me to help?**_ Sköll asked Kenokami. Kenokami nodded.

White chakra began bursting out of Kenokami. Deidara showed a brief look of shock before he shrugged it off.

"Hmm... not impressive. You still can't reach me!" Deidara smirked.

"You... you need a glass belly button," Kenokami said.

"Hmm?" Deidara replied, raising an eyebrow at the random comment.

"That way, if your head goes any further up your ass, you can look out and see what the rest of the world is up to!" Kenokami yelled as his sword was covered in the same white chakra. Kenokami hurled the sword at Deidara. The sword flew towards Deidara at high speeds. Deidara gasped in shock as he ducked right before the sword cleaved his head off of his neck. The sword flew off and landed far below, causing an audible crash as a small crater was formed right where an unfortunate zombie used to stand.

Deidara quickly got up and looked at Kenokami, who was grinning. He then felt something brush against his neck and shoulder. Deidara looked down in horror to see that some of his ponytail had been cut off, and it was now on his shoulder. Horrified, Deidara felt the top of his head to discover that his entire ponytail was gone; all of it was cut off by the blade or singed off by the chakra. Deidara glared at Kenokami with all of the hate in the world.

"THAT WAS MY HAIR!!!" Deidara shrieked as he reached into the pouch of clay. Before Kenokami could unsheathe another sword to throw at Deidara, Deidara had already formed a large winged creature with a hand giving the middle finger as its face. The winged creature flew at Kenokami, who had little time to react.

A deafening explosion occurred as Deidara madly laughed at the explosion.

"THAT WAS FOR MY HAIR, YEAH!!!" Deidara yelled as he continued to laugh. At this point he didn't care that he had killed a jinchuuriki and ruined Akatsuki's plans. He had avenged his hair! His thoughts were silenced as something slammed into his chest, slicing through it and leaving a burning sensation. Deidara gasped in pain as he was knocked off of his bird. His vision seemed to go in slow motion as he saw the bird fall to the ground and the sky get further and further away.

Deidara let out a gasp as his body painfully slammed against the ground. He couldn't move as he heard nothing but the noise of his own heart beating. Images of the past began flashing through his head.

_No, no, NO, DAMMIT!_ he cursed in his head as his eyes closed, _I... I don't want to die yet..._

* * *

_Early... it was very early. It wasn't even dawn yet. Yet I had awoke. I tried going back to sleep, but I couldn't. Might as well get up. I quietly got out of my sleeping bag as I slipped on some new clothes for the day. My eyes saw the sleeping form of Shizuka. I sighed heavily. That girl worshipped me... I was her hero. Before I left Iwagakure to become a terrorist-for-hire, I was one of the strongest jonin there (and at such a young age, too!), and this girl was assigned to be one of my students..._

_She was different from the other two. She wanted to learn the ways of art. Unfortunately, her view of art would become that of Sasori's, but she was a gifted sculptor like me, but stone and wax were her tools of art._

_I sighed heavily. I would have to leave her before she awoke... I didn't want to, in fact I wanted to stay with her for the rest of my life, but I had encountered three of Akatsuki's members... apparently they are searching for powerful criminals and promising them immortality. I lost to one of them and now I am being forced to join. This could be very dangerous and I couldn't live with myself if I was responsible for her death... so I had to leave her._

_The tears formed in my eyes as I sculpted a rose made of clay, laying it beside her head. I stroked her face, whispering goodbye as I picked up my packs and set off..._

_I haven't seen her since that day three years ago, when I was sixteen... and now I wouldn't live to see her again... I never did enough good deeds to appease Leader so he would make me immortal... damn it all..._

_I must live! I must live to become immortal and see Shizuka again! A candidate for Tsuchikage, no matter how un-artful that position may be, will _not_ lose to this man!_

* * *

Deidara slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, but he could make out Kenokami standing above him. He had a cocky grin on his face, and the white chakra was pouring out of him. Two tails, one made of whirling air and the other made of flame, were behind the aura. Deidara's vision became clearer as Kenokami mouthed some words. Deidara could still only hear his heartbeat, but he could definitely read Kenokami's lips:

"What's the matter, pup? Does your chest hurt, hmm?" Deidara read, picturing Kenokami doing a mocking impression of him.

Deidara wanted to get up and just wipe that smirk off of Kenokami's face by blowing it up, but he could barely move. He looked down at his chest and winced at the sight of it. There was a large vertical gash on it, and the skin and blood had been melted over the wound. Deidara had to move! He twitched his arms and legs to see if they would respond. They did... he just needed to muster up the strength to move.

With a quick, unexpected movement, Deidara tossed some clay at Kenokami and detonated it. He quickly leapt back to a safe distance. He grunted as the wound on his chest lit up with burning pain. Deidara grabbed a ball of clay and put it into his own mouth. He chewed and vomited the clay onto the ground.

"So sorry, yeah, but I have to go!" Deidara shouted, "I'm not dying here, mmm!"

_A necessary escape tactic..._ Deidara thought, _...judging by his bijuu's power, he will survive C4... unfortunately for me, but fortunate to Akatsuki..._

Deidara quickly made a clay bird and mounted it as he flew off. He saw the giant copy of himself form from the vomited clay.

_Art... is a BANG!_ Deidara thought to himself as he saw the giant copy disintegrate. He began using his scope to scan the ground below for Tobi.

Kenokami, meanwhile, was confused as to why the large Deidara didn't explode after it swelled.

Kenokami suddenly screamed with pain as the microscopic bombs detonated inside of him, but Sköll's power quickly healed every cell destroyed by the bombs. Once the C4 had dispersed, Kenokami was on one knee, breathing heavily, the five-tailed wolf's chakra gone. He looked around for Deidara, but he did not see him.

_Damn..._ Kenokami thought, _...he got away... oh well. I need to find Reiko!_

Kenokami struggled to get to his feet. Once he did, he leapt up to a roof and began hopping from roof to roof, hoping to find her.

_Good thing I left Garm back at the observatory tower..._ Kenokami thought, glancing behind him, looking at the spot where his giant katana would be, _or else it would have been disintegrated like my other swords..._

Kenokami shrugged off the thought, _It doesn't matter. Garm's fine. Reiko may or may not be... that is the important thing..._

* * *

Tobi stopped running. He looked around while panting. He had ran away from the scary woman! He leaned against the wall of a building and sat down.

He then saw Reiko step out of thin air. Tobi's skin paled considerably, but none of his skin was visible. He thought he saw a brief flash of red in her green eyes... could she be...?

It didn't matter. She was probably the strongest of her little group. Tobi had to run. He got up and started to run, but suddenly Reiko was in front of him. Tobi made a frightened yelp.

"Stop running," Reiko said, "you can't hide from me."

Tobi gulped and suddenly threw down a smoke ball. Reiko coughed as she covered her face. She activated her sharingan and squinted to see until the smoke cleared. Tobi was gone already. Reiko sighed heavily.

She suddenly heard some bushes rustle. She quickly rolled out of the way as a large jet of flame burst from the foliage. Reiko retaliated by reaching into her cloak and throwing a spherical object. As soon as the orb hit the ground, it burst open, sending thousands of needles everywhere. She saw the slightest movements in the brush as a slew of fireballs headed her way. She quickly ran towards them, weaving in and out of the fireballs, as he lifted up the sleeves of her robes and pressed a button on a device around her wrist, making two wristblades extend from the devices. Reiko saw Tobi, she was feet from him. Tobi stopped using the jutsu and tried to flee, but Reiko stabbed the two wristblades into Tobi's chest.

She was unsuccessful as she merely passed right through Tobi and fell to the ground, but she caught herself with one of her hands and pushed herself back up. She spun around to see Tobi staring at her, saying nothing. Reiko was shocked. She saw it, clear as day, shining through his odd mask.

He had a sharingan, too.

"You... who are you?" Reiko asked, still slightly shocked.

"I... I don't know," Tobi said, his cheerful voice now cold and serious, "I don't know..."

_Why does he sound like he's on the verge of tears?_ Reiko thought, _Why does one of my kin that survived the massacre have to be the enemy..._

Tobi growled fiercely as he made some hand seals, a large dragon head made of flame appearing around his fist. He quickly charged at Reiko and slammed the burning fist into her without warning.

A large explosion was heard as Reiko exploded, knocking Tobi back. Tobi fell and skidded across the ground as he slammed into a wall. A crack was heard as Tobi slowly got up, looking at his shattered mask fall to the ground. Tobi's arm twitched as he stared at the cracked and broken mask that was on the ground next to his feet. Sudden brief images flashed through Tobi's mind.

_Rocks... pain... I am... crushed? But I'm alive? Ka... Kakashi? Rin? Minato-sensei? I... am... Tobi? No, I am... Obito U... Uchiha? Who is this man that saved me? Madara? Madara Uchiha? How come I didn't remember all of this? Mother and Father are... dead? I-Itachi Uchiha killed them? Reiko... she is my sister?_

Tobi yelled to the sky as he clutched his head and dropped to his knees.

"Please... stop! Tobi is not Obito! Tobi is a good boy! Tobi is with Akatsuki and with Dei-Dei!" Tobi said as he rocked back and forth.

Reiko emerged from her hiding spot and walked over to Tobi. She looked at him without his mask and gasped.

_He _is _an Uchiha!_ Reiko thought in shock.

"Please, take my hand. We don't have to fight!" Reiko said. Tobi heard the words and looked at her with anger and sadness in his eye. He had an eyepatch covering his left eye.

"GET AWAY!" Tobi yelled, "L-LEAVE!"

_"Obito... you may not remember who you are or who your comrades were... chances are you will forget this conversation, but you are one of the last Uchiha. You have an older sibling that is alive as well... her name is Reiko, and you two are linked. She has obtained the Mangekyo, and you will most likely obtain the Mangekyo... you must take her eyes... take them to restore the light..."_ Madara had said to Tobi before he departed. That was all he could remember, sans the names and faces of the people before he was crushed by rocks. Why was he crushed? Why did Madara save him just to tell him that?

"No! I won't leave! We are kin!" Reiko pleaded.

Tobi yelled in fury as he got up and dashed at her, pulling a kunai out from his Akatsuki robe. He thrust it at her, but she quickly leapt back to avoid it. She pressed a button on the device around her wrist and the wrist blade shot out at Tobi, a rope attached to the blade. Soon, Tobi was all tied up and he was struggling to get free.

"LET ME GO!" Tobi shouted as a loud explosion occurred in the distance, shaking the ground immensely. Reiko gasped as she almost fell, but she regained her footing.

"Tell me... who are you?" Reiko asked. Tobi looked at her with tears falling from his eye.

"I... I don't know..." he cried, "...am I Tobi... or am I Obito? WHO AM I?!?"

Reiko let her mind wander as she stared at the ground, biting her lip. What would she do?

She suddenly snapped out of it as she heard Tobi yell fiercely. He had broken free of the ropes and he was charging at her. Reiko gasped and without thinking, she formed her orb of chakra empowered by wind, fire, and lightning, and slammed it into Tobi's chest. Tobi stood aghast as he coughed up blood. Reiko whimpered as she dropped Tobi and ran off in fear.

Tobi looked up at the sky, unable to move. He saw a large Deidara appear before bulging and disintegrating.

_Deidara-sensei... you are the only one I know... I am not Obito... I am Tobi, the good boy..._ Tobi thought as he lost consciousness.

Deidara flew down and dismounted moments after Tobi was felled.

"Poor Tobi, hmm..." Deidara sighed as he picked up Tobi and put him on the bird as he flew off with him, leaving Tobi's mask behind.

* * *

_Dammit, where the hell is she?_ Kenokami thought. He then spied someone moving much faster than the slow zombies. It was Reiko! He swiftly went to her position.

"Kenokami!" Reiko exclaimed as she ran towards him, but she stopped suddenly a few feet from him, "Y-Your arm!"

Kenokami looked at the spot where his left arm would be, "Oh... it's nothing. The important thing is that you're safe," he said, not realizing that Reiko had only noticed that his arm was missing when she was a few feet away.

Reiko continued her run to Kenokami as she hugged him tightly.

"I... another Uchiha..." Reiko said quietly.

_What?_ Kenokami thought in mild shock. He stroked Reiko's hair with his only hand.

"It's okay... we need to go back to the tower and look for any sign of Otoshi... those two retreated..." Kenokami said. Reiko nodded as she let go, the two strolling over to the tower, hand in hand.

* * *

Jiraiya sighed in boredom as he looked around the room. Julia sat on the bed opposite him, but she said nothing... she just stared at the floor. Jiraiya eyed her nice figure and a perverted grin came across his legs.

"So... nice legs, do they open?" Jiraiya asked pervertedly, making a small chuckle. Julia looked up and glared at him.

"Leave me alone... my only love is probably dead now..." she said furiously with a hint of sadness. Jiraiya sighed and looked away at the wall opposite him. He saw the wall move.

"Huh?" he mumbled as the secret entrance appeared, an all-too familiar face emerging.

"Sasuke?" Jiraiya asked.

* * *

Otoshi paced back and forth as he thought of the biggest way to be a douchebag to piss off that Kyuubi kid even more. He had ordered Neji to throw the corpses into the basement and close the door before the smell got to him. He was currently scanning Neji's mind, learning the appearance and names of everyone in his memories.

_Okay... Kyuubi kid, pink girl, and that Hinata share the same room... this kid is related to Hinata..._ Otoshi thought to himself. He then stopped pacing as a malicious grin spread across his face. Otoshi made the hand seals for the jutsu that makes you meld with the shadows as he mentally controlled Neji, making him walk towards Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata's room. Neji grasped the doorknob, and turned it...

"Oh, Neji! What's wrong?" Hinata asked upon seeing Neji.

"What're you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"Where's Hanabi?" Sakura asked.

"So many questions..." Otoshi made Neji said, "...Hinata, Hanabi is dead."

Hinata gasped, clapping her hands to her mouth. Naruto and Sakura stared at Neji in shock.

"I killed her," Neji said, smirking evilly, "I seeked out Otoshi for power."

"What?" Naruto asked furiously, clenching his hands tightly, "You did _what?_"

"You heard me, Naruto," Neji scoffed, "I'm sorry, but there is no hope for survival here... not by ourselves. I noticed the immense power Otoshi has... actually being able to control people with his eyes, not to mention his other powerful jutsu. I wanted to survive, so I called out for Otoshi and he arrived, willingly let me join him. I had to kill Hanabi since she didn't accept my joining Otoshi. Otoshi is misunderstood... he will help those who seek him out."

"So you betrayed us just to save your own sorry ass?" Sakura asked in disbelief. Hinata was crying now, and Sakura was comforting her, with no effect.

"No! You misunderstand me... I want us all to survive, but I realize that our current plan is filled with fallacies... surely you should have realized this as well. We won't survive going by our current methods, and I don't expect Jiraiya to go with a better plan. So I took the risk and found Otoshi," Otoshi said, spewing lies out of Neji's mouth, "So... are you going to join us or will I have to kill you? Obviously I can't let you live and blab everything to Jiraiya..."

"No way, you son of a bitch!" Naruto screamed in fury as he ran forward and formed a rasengan.

"Typical, stubborn Naruto Uzumaki..." Neji scoffed as he activated his Byakugan and struck Naruto's wrist, stopping the chakra flow to his hand, making the rasengan fade. Neji struck him quickly several times across the chest before shoving his palm into Naruto's chest, sending him flying back.

_I'm... s-so scared..._ Hinata thought in fear as she buried her face in her arms, _how could Neji do something like this?_

Sakura furiously darted at Neji. Neji struck out at her, but Sakura ducked and avoided his first attack. She was close enough to grapple his arms and squeeze tightly, but Neji grabbed her arms and pumped some chakra into them, making Sakura squeal in pain as she let go. Neji struck her several times and finished by hitting her in the head, using enough chakra to knock her out, but not enough to kill her. Neji heard the angry roar of Naruto as Naruto got up and charged at Neji again. Neji spun around and struck Naruto several more times before finishing with the same attack that downed Sakura.

_No... I'm the only one... I have to protect them!_ Hinata thought as she bravely stood up and activated her Byakugan, wiping away the tears, but more kept coming. She decided to ignore them as she ran at Neji.

They began fighting. Each of them traded blows, but they were either dodged or deflected.

"Well, you've improved since we last fought," Neji said.

"Quiet!" Hinata yelled as she made a slight delay, trying to disrupt Neji's tempo to sneak an attack in, but Neji adjusted quickly.

"It's futile, Hinata. I am better than you are and I always will be!" Neji indignantly exclaimed as he suddenly changed fighting stances to something different from Juken. It was completely foreign to Hinata, but it still used the Hyuga's unique taijutsu.

_What is this?_ she panicked in her mind, not knowing it was just Otoshi's version of Juken.

Hinata made some strikes, but Neji ducked beneath them, spreading his legs apart. He slid towards Hinata by dragging the leg furthest from Hinata towards his other leg as he sprung up and briefly grabbed Hinata's neck, surging a small spike of chakra through it. Hinata stopped fighting as she clutched her neck, coughing. Neji elbowed her in the back, bringing Hinata's head down on Neji's knee. Hinata cried out in pain as Neji backhanded her across the face. He went to strike with his other hand, but Hinata unexpectedly caught it.

_What? But I stunned her!_ Otoshi thought with shock, _How could she have seen it coming?_

Hinata sent a large surge of chakra through Neji's arm, disabling it. She then threw the limp arm so that it smacked Neji in the face. Hinata then struck Neji twice, and then four times, and then eight times...

"Two palms! Four palms! Eight palms!" Hinata called out as she delivered the blows, "Sixteen palms! Thirty-two palms! Sixty-four palms! One hundred twenty-eight palms!"

Neji spat up blood. Otoshi knew he was losing. Oh well, might as well go with it.

"This is for my friends!" Hinata yelled, "Two hundred fifty-six palms!"

She delivered the many final blows. The last strike hit Neji as he fell to the ground, battered and bruised. Otoshi decontrolled Neji as he chuckled to himself and left the room.

"H-Hinata..." Neji said weakly as he coughed up some more blood.

"What!?!" Hinata hysterically shrieked. She maintained her look of fierce anger, but the tears falling from her eyes were the cracks in her mask. Naruto and Sakura began to stir.

"How... how could you believe the lies he made me tell you?" Neji asked, shaking his head shamefully, "I was being controlled by Otoshi!"

Those six words penetrated Hinata deeply. Her eyes widened as her look of anger faded. She cried out as she embraced Neji, sobbing into his chest.

"I'M SO SORRY!!!" Hinata cried. Sakura and Naruto had stood up, hearing what had happened as they awoke from unconsciousness.

"Please... you're hurting me, Hinata..." Neji said. Hinata immediately released Neji, her face contorted by tears and sorrow. Sakura suddenly went over to Neji and knelt down, futilely trying to heal him.

"Don't... waste your chakra, Sakura..." Neji wheezed, "...Hinata disabled the majority of my chakra points... and she damaged most of my organs... there's no hope in healing me..."

Sakura ignored Neji's words as she continued to try and heal him.

"Dammit, why won't it work?" Sakura asked, crying, as she poured more chakra into him.

"Sakura, stop..." Naruto said as he walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. Sakura stopped trying to heal Neji as she stood up and began crying in Naruto's arm.

"Neji... is H-Hanabi okay?" Hinata whimpered. Neji sighed heavily as he turned his head.

"I'm sorry, Hinata... I failed... I failed to protect a member of the Main Branch..." Neji said shamefully, "...Hanabi was bitten by one of those cursed people..."

Hinata cried out in sorrow as she buried her face into Neji's chest.

"H...Hinata..." Neji said weakly. His breaths were becoming weaker. His entire body shook as if it took all of his strength to make a breath. Hinata looked up.

"I'm... sorry... for never... recognizing your power..." Neji said, "...and I'm sorry for... all of the times... I was mean to you..."

"I forgive you, Neji! I forgive you...!" Hinata sobbed. She said this as if apologizing would bring Neji back.

"You are... the last... Hyuga... will you promise... to make the clan proud?" Neji asked, making his final request. Hinata nodded, her voice too choked with tears to talk.

Sakura turned away from Naruto.

"I... can't stay here..." she said quietly, "I have to tell Jiraiya of what happened."

She then swiftly left the room, trying to hold back her tears. Naruto continued to stare at the scene before him, dumbstruck by what had happened. That is, he would have been dumbstruck if his emotions weren't already numbed by all of the other events that he had witnessed.

"Good..." Neji said, sighing in relief, "...Hi...nat...a...good...bye..." Neji whispered as his head lolled back.

"NO! NOOOOO! DON'T LEAVE ME, NEJI! _DON'T LEAVE ME!!!_" Hinata wailed as she shook Neji, who had already left her. Naruto turned around, not wanting to see Hinata's futile effort to bring Neji back. Her screams would have affected him, but he couldn't hear them. He could only hear his own thoughts.

_First, Otoshi kills Iruka. Then he manipulates Hinata, making her attack me. Then he makes Hinata unknowingly kill Neji, deceiving the three of us? That motherfucker will PAY!_ Naruto thought as he formed a tight fist.


	21. Chapter 21: Evils of the Past

(Author's Note: Finally, I'm out of hiatus. I apologize for the chapter being shorter than most, but I believe my writing quality has improved. I have the entire story planned out now, so it'll be easier to update when you don't have to improvise on the spot (even though there's still the whole process of getting inspired to write). Well, enjoy)

* * *

The Necromancer, Chapter 21:

Sasuke heard Jiraiya utter his name as he entered the building. Sasuke turned to look at Jiraiya as he ignored the woman across from him.

"So, you finally came back, huh?" Jiraiya asked with a sneer, "Any certain reason?"

Sasuke looked away from Jiraiya as Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo entered the building, the secret entrance closing, "Itachi is heading this way. I'm only waiting for him to show up. That is the _only_ reason I'm here," Sasuke said.

Jiraiya sighed, "Well, I don't see the loss in your absence. Right now, you're like a friendlier Orochimaru... hopefully you stay this way."

Sasuke ignored Jiraiya's comment and changed the subject, "You have anywhere for us to stay?"

"I'm sure we have some empty rooms," Jiraiya said, "I won't assist you in finding them, though."

"Fine with me," Sasuke said as he glared at Jiraiya, _The nerve of this man..._ he thought.

Hurried footsteps were heard in the distance. They grew louder before they stopped outside the door. It quickly opened, and Sakura entered the room, breathing heavily and sobbing lightly.

_Great... _just_ who I wanted to encounter..._ Sasuke thought grimly as he saw Sakura.

Sakura was about to explain the terrible events that happened, but seeing Sasuke in the room immediately took her mind off of what happened.

"SASUKE!!!" Sakura squealed as she ran over and hugged him tightly, "You're finally back!"

Sasuke grimaced at the tight embrace of Sakura. He smiled lightly, though, for part of him missed it.

"Unhand me," Sasuke said forcefully. Sakura backed away and looked at Sasuke with pained eyes. A look of realization came across her face as she remembered why she entered the room in the first place. She looked towards Jiraiya and took a deep breath. She bit her lower lip as she tried to explain what happened.

"I have bad news... Otoshi... he caused Hanabi and Neji to die..." Sakura said painfully. Jiraiya sighed heavily as he placed a hand on his face.

Outside of the room, Kiba and Tenten were there. They were going to ask Jiraiya something and they were close to opening the door until they overheard the news.

As the words proclaiming Neji's death entered Tenten's ears, something snapped in her mind. She had had a crush on Neji ever since they were assigned to the same team. She could never sum up the courage to express her love to him, and now she never would. Neji's presence brought her comfort, and now he was not alive anymore. Tenten couldn't take it. She whimpered and suddenly ran away with tears in her eyes.

"W-wait!" Kiba called out as he suddenly saw Tenten run off. He quickly followed her.

Jiraiya formed some handseals and placed his hand on his throat. Chakra flowed from his hand as he spoke, his voice amplified.

"Everyone, meet in the lobby in ten minutes. We're having another emergency meeting," Jiraiya said. He stopped the voice amplification jutsu and placed his hands on his face, muttering, "What am I going to do..."

* * *

Madara observed Otoshi's actions with interest. Seeing the man's unique jutsus and kekkei genkai impressed him greatly. He was a bit disappointed when he saw that the man was taking a break.

"What are we waiting for? Seeing that prick that killed me is riling me up..." Kakuzu growled.

"Yeah, I want to fucking _demolish_ that kid that buried me. Him and every _fucking_ person important to him!" Hidan spat.

Madara sighed. Sure, they were useful members of Akatsuki (except Hidan. His stupidity outclassed his usefulness), but they were awfully annoying and loud. They were testing his patience.

"Can we-?" Hidan began to ask for the umpteenth time.

"FINE! GO ATTACK THEM!" Madara snapped. Kakuzu and Hidan were gone as soon as Madara yelled the first word. Madara grumbled to himself and disabled the stealth jutsu on them.

Kakuzu and Hidan charged forward. Kakuzu moved the cloth covering his mouth downwards and he made several threads emerge from his mouth and rip a hole in a wall just to make loud noises and add fun by alerting the others of their presence. Kakuzu eyed some shocked ninja in the room past the section of wall he tore down, along with one of the Sannin and a pretty woman. Kakuzu chuckled as the threads shot out and wrapped themselves around the woman's neck. She made a choked yelp as Kakuzu drug her out of the room and went away from the ninja's view.

Hidan noted that Kakuzu went elsewhere, so he began looking for Kurenai, the lover of that man he killed. He did not know how he knew of this information; perhaps Jashin was blessing him and granting him vengeance.

Kakuzu had found a secluded room to hide in as the other ninja in the building were wondering what was happening. He eyed his catch. She was quite a looker. Her futile struggles excited Kakuzu as he moved the threads from around her throat to around her wrists and ankles.

"Unhand me, you sick freak!" Julia spat at Kakuzu.

"Oh, a fiery one, are we? I like spunk in a woman," Kakuzu said with a lecherous grin, the threads emerging from his mouth slightly impairing his speech. The threads ripped off Julia's shirt, exposing her bare chest. They began caressing Julia's nipples, causing them to stand.

"Stop!" Julia cried, "You monster!"

"Oh, but you seem to be enjoying it..." Kakuzu grinned as more threads came and gagged Julia to prevent her from speaking. She cried and struggled as the threads began molesting her legs and breasts. Kakuzu quickly became bored of the woman. The threads suddenly gripped her chest hardly, resulting in a sharp outcry from her. Blood began seeping down her chest as it was slowly ripped open. Julia was ungagged by the threads covering her mouth. She yelled a horrible yell of pain and torment as the threads that were covering her mouth entered the wound and ripped out her heart. The threads suddenly receded into Kakuzu's mouth, taking the heart with it. Julia was dropped to the ground like a worthless toy. She looked up at her murderer as her final tears fell from her eyes.

"Hmm... I thank you for the generous donation of fire..." Kakuzu said as he exited the room. Immediately as he left the room he spied two medic-nin. Easy prey. The network of threads shot out of his mouth once more and quickly plunged into the chests of Ken and Megumi, taking their hearts as well.

"Wind and water," he mumbled as the threads receded into his mouth. He saw several ninja staring at him in shock. He eyed the Kyuubi kid that killed him. He laughed wildly.

"Not even death can take me away!" Kakuzu exclaimed.

* * *

Hidan had found her. She was currently staring at him, terrified. Hidan laughed lightly to himself as he slowly approached her.

Kurenai was shaking madly. This man fit the descriptions of the one that killed Asuma! He approached her with a slightly hunched over posture. His slicked back silver hair and shining, piercing violet eyes (normally traits that would be considered handsome) were absolutely terrifying with his smug expression. He wore an open Akatsuki robe and a necklace with a symbol: an inverted triangle set within a circle. The mystery of that symbol enhanced the man's intimidation. The most horrifying aspect of the man was the large tripled bladed scythe he held in his left hand. She tried backing away from him, but she was against a wall. She felt completely helpless, as she was too afraid to use her genjutsu skills to try and flee.

Hidan grabbed Kurenai's chin and leaned close to her. She could feel his warm, haggard breath on her face. He moved his mouth over to her ear and whispered into it.

"I'm taking you away."

Kurenai let out a small whimper as that dreaded whisper sent chills down her spine.

"Kurenai!? Are you oka-!?" Shikamaru called out as he entered the room, but his words stopped short when he saw Hidan standing in front of Kurenai. Hidan looked back at Shikamaru and smirked at him as the two suddenly vanished, a breeze passing by Shikamaru as that happened.

Shikamaru was left in shock momentarily as his mind comprehended what had happened.

_I've got to save Kurenai!!!_ his mind yelled as his feet moved. He had no knowledge of where he took her, but it couldn't have been outside this building. He had to look in every room!

* * *

Tenten had closed herself in a utility closet. She was kneeling to the floor in despair. Her tears had stopped flowing; she had none left. She heard the noises outside, but they were repelled by her depression. Nothing mattered anymore.

"Tenten?" Kiba called out. Of course, she wouldn't respond. Kiba's voice said nothing more. He had been caught by the chaos Kakuzu was causing, and he had deemed the assailant more important than her. Oh well. This didn't affect her at all.

She said nothing as she reached into a pouch and took a kunai out. She held it up, her bleak and empty face reflecting off the metal. She placed it against her neck. She bit her lip as a few more tears mustered the strength to squeeze themselves from her eyes.

One cut. One cut was all that it would take. For some reason, her body would not move. Her mind was at ease as she lay at death's door. The silence was mocking her as her body would not take her own life. She bit harder down on her lip, drawing blood. The pain made her body move.

A splash of red.

Relaxing, calming peace as she fell.

And all was black.


	22. Chapter 22: Showdowns

(Author's Note: There will be an extremely violent section after the first flashback section in this chapter (with all italics). There will be a second flashback section after the violent section, if you want to skip the violent section. You have been warned.)

* * *

The Necromancer, Chapter 22:

The survivors all stood in shock as Kakuzu madly laughed. Threads started emerging from his mouth, back, and arms. Three odd animal masks were visible within the threads. One of the masks began to glow red.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" Naruto warned. The people in the room instantly scrambled as a large jet of flame flew out of the mask and slammed into a wall, lighting some furniture on fire. Sasuke activated his sharingan and quickly made the handseals of a water jutsu to put out the flame.

"Fang over Fang!" Kiba cried out as Akamaru turned into a clone of him. They both spun towards Kakuzu at high speeds. Kakuzu gasped as one of the animal masks glowed blue before a wall of semisolid water sprouted in front of him to protect him, but Kiba and Akamaru easily smashed through the defense. Kakuzu used several of his threads to block the attack as a last resort, causing some injury to him. The last animal mask glowed gray as powerful gusts blew Kiba, Akamaru, and any other people close to him away. Akamaru turned back to his original formed and growled. The whirling barrier remained as a face familiar to some materialized within the winds. Clad in red armor and dark robes, with long raven hair that was spiked slightly, the man's odd sharingan shone brightly.

Jiraiya's eyes widened in terror as he eyed the man that appeared. The man flashed a sinister grin to everyone in the room as the winds died down.

"Madara Uchiha..." Jiraiya grimly thought aloud as he glanced at the man, who had somehow managed to keep his youthful appearance all of these years. His hair was still long and shining obsidian and there wasn't a wrinkle on his skin! How?

"He must have an appearance changing jutsu... he looks different than the last time we saw him..." Sakura muttered to herself. The others whom had saw both of Madara's appearances had probably reached the same conclusion.

Hinata hid behind Naruto and she clung to his back. She peered carefully from behind Naruto. She didn't know much about the mysterious Uchiha man except that he hated the byakugan with a passion. She didn't want to die! Two scary and powerful ninja were confronting them, and she was terrified and she didn't know what to do. Already she felt that the Hyuga name and courage had died with Neji. She began softly crying into Naruto's back.

"Well, hello, Jiraiya," Madara greeted, "I assume due to all of the events that have happened here you are the acting Hokage, right?"

"You're scum, Madara," Jiraiya growled, "Worthless scum. You betrayed your village for your own selfish beliefs!"

"I _deserved_ to be Hokage," Madara glared at Jiraiya, "The position was mine and mine alone! If Hizuko Hyuga were not to obtain the position, then _I_ was the one who should've gained it! Not Hashirama!"

The other survivors that were present watched in anxiousness. They understood little of what was happening (except the jonin), but they were cautious for any sudden attacks.

"You aren't worthy of Hokage! Your goals were despicable!" Jiraiya shouted back.

"I had the good of the world in mind at the time!" Madara retorted, "It wasn't until the doubt of my victory that those images appeared in my mind! I was pure until then!"

"You expect me to believe that? What about those records that told of you taking your brother, Izuna's, eyes?" Jiraiya replied with a smug grin. Madara's eyes widened in shock. It was one of those memories he had suppressed, for it shamed him so much. He abused the mangekyo until his eyes were gone, and in a fit of pathetic rage, he trapped his dearest brother in a genjutsu and took his eyes. After all of the friendly rivalry they went through to gain the mangekyo together. He had ended it all before he even met Hashirama. He even made a cover-up story as to how Izuna was killed. Madara made a tight fist as he grit his teeth tightly. He stared at Jiraiya with extreme detest.

Madara screamed at Jiraiya, "YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND!!!"

"Hah! Touched a nerve, did I?" Jiraiya smirked.

"It doesn't matter," Madara replied, sounding slightly frazzled and crazed, "Your words mean nothing. I took the life of your first Hokage. I took Hashirama's life! I can easily defeat you!"

"Oh, really? Because I've heard the fight went differently than your twisted version. Hashirama could've defeated you anytime he wanted to. The man fended off the Kyuubi, after all, when it was under control. And that was a few days _before_ your climatic fight at the Valley of the End..." Jiraiya said.

Madara's eyes widened once more as the truthful memories surged through his mind, flooding out the false, delusional memories he created himself.

* * *

_"So, Madara, it's come to this. You selfishly kill Hizuko because of your jealousy and failure in becoming Hokage over me. Your own clan dejects you, siding with us, the Senju, along with the other clans. You were exiled from the village and you attacked us twice. Once with the Kyuubi, and once with your zombie army. And now here we are. No doubt we are currently defeating your army of the undead as we speak," Hashirama said to me as he drew his sword._

_"Quiet!" I barked as I drew Masamune, the ancient blade of the Uchihas, "You're delusional! Not even the Senju can take down the dead!"_

_"Cease your rambling!" Hashirama ordered, "It doesn't matter whether Konoha is currently winning or losing! All that matters right now is us! If you're so intent on killing me, then have at you!"_

_He then charged at me and thrust his sword at one of the few unarmored areas of my battle uniform. I raised Masamune and parried the blow, but he countered with a sharp kick to my side. The kick caused a brief surge of pain that knocked me off balance, but I raised my arm and used the armor plates on it to block his second slash. I then sliced at Hashirama's legs with Masamune, but he saw the move coming and he leaped back to avoid it. I quickly stood and straightened myself up._

_"We both know that we won't end this fight with our blades," Hashirama said as he sheathed his sword. I did the same. We both quickly formed handseals. Hashirama completed his jutsu first. Massive roots burst from the ground and the side of the cliff, pulling the earth apart. A waterfall revealed itself from the cliffside as the huge roots suddenly shot towards me. I completed my jutsu, full-knowing that Hashirama would use his kekkei genkai. An aura of powerful flame formed around me. The roots became incinerated as they neared the flame aura. I grinned at Hashirama. This was one thing his damned abilities wouldn't counter! He had shown me in our first fight with the Kyuubi that he could somehow banish the Kyuubi and seal its power away temporarily. It was the direct opposite of my mangekyo ability to control the Kyuubi temporarily and summon it as well!_

_He began forming different handseals. Handseals to a water jutsu, I quickly realized due to my sharingan. I summoned my basho fan that had become the symbol of the Uchihas. The huge surge of water rushed at me. I removed the flame barrier and waved the basho fan with great force, summoning a huge burst of wind that blew the water away. I chuckled as I unsummoned the fan._

_"What now, Hashirama?" I taunted, "Not even the great power of the Hokage can stop me!"_

_I saw the worry on Hashirama's face. He knew both of our clans' primary elemental jutsus. The Senju used earth whilst the Uchiha used flame. I knew what was coming next as the worry evaporated from Hashirama's face. He would use an earth jutsu. I wouldn't have a counter for that. Well, that was what he thought._

_I unsheathed Masamune as he formed more handseals. He placed his hands on the ground as the earth in front of him rose and contorted into a large golem of stone and soil. I formed a one-handed handseal (much to Hashirama's surprise), and Masamune's blade began arcing with electricity. Lightning always strikes the earth. If not for the world's massive size, there would be no doubt that the lightning would pierce through the planet. I leapt forward and struck a hefty blow to the earth golem, causing it to surge with electricity before it crumbled apart, causing a great upheaval of dust. I coughed and shielded my eyes from the dust as I sheathed Masamune with my free hand. The dust soon cleared, revealing a defenseless Hashirama. He did not know of the mangekyo sharingan. He probably thought of it as an indication of a powerful Uchiha based on the different design. He knew nothing of the extra abilities it granted. I think it was time to tell him._

_I grinned at my current success, "Well, Hashirama, it looks like the Uchihas are the strongest clan after all! Besides, I have a newer, stronger sharingan! I have had it for quite a while. It's called the mangekyo sharingan. I obtained it through fierce competition with my brother, Izuna. He had obtained it as well. Did you know it grants the user new, powerful jutsu?" I began to explain, "But, as I soon discovered, using these powerful jutsu corrodes your eyesight. I began losing my vision. Do you know of the past of the Uchihas?"_

_"I know that the Uchiha are an offshoot of the other original clan besides us: the Hyuga," Hashirama said, keeping his cool. He was in a defensive stance; both of his hands were near his blade so that he could either quickly use a jutsu or quickly draw his blade._

_"Well, the first Uchiha used to be a Hyuga. Adra Hyuga. Although he was different than the rest. He was mighty and powerful... a notorious killer. It was said he encountered the Kyuubi, who granted him new eyes due to his deeds. He changed his last name to reflect his departure from the peaceful and honorable Hyugas. The Uchihas were born that day. The clan itself was born nine months later after he used his new eyes and their power to put a woman in a genjutsu and raped her. Adra was a despicable man, but he brought one of the strongest clans to existence! He was even despicable enough to set in motion a new type of sharingan. Remember, Adra was terrifyingly powerful. He was regarded more as a demon than a human. He was sick enough to link the eyes of Uchiha siblings. He linked the sharingan of siblings, making the siblings fated to compete. My grandfather was Adra, and he observed his two grandsons compete to become the strongest of the Uchihas. Adra had become a withered husk of his former self, so he devised this to find a successor to him. I was that successor. I bested Izuna, and we both gained the mangekyo as a result of our competition," I explained, "but Adra had cursed us and all future Uchiha siblings. The mangekyo drained eyesight with repeated use of the powerful jutsu it granted. Only Uchiha siblings can obtain the mangekyo, too. So few of us had it. Anyways, I foolishly abused these powerful jutsu and cast my world into darkness. On Adra's deathbed, I pleaded for him to tell me if there was a way to restore my vision. He told my I must take the eyes of my brother. In a surge of madness, I did so. I removed my eyes and replaced them with Izuna's. My vision was restored and I felt a new surge of power. As I gazed into a mirror, I noted that my new sharingan had taken on the combined appearance of both of our mangekyos. This mangekyo did not remove my eyesight with the use of its jutsus, and I could also use my brother's unique mangekyo ability. I dubbed this new form of sharingan the 'eternal mangekyo sharingan.' The power it granted me was incredible," I finished as I revealed it to Hashirama._

_"Sickening," Hashirama said, "Absolutely sickening. It seems you succeeded Adra, all right. You inherited his title as the strongest Uchiha, and as a demon!"_

_"Your words mean nothing!" I boasted, "I will strike you down right now!"_

_As I prepared to use my sharingan, he used some handseals for a type of jutsu I had never seen before. Instantly my world became dark again. What was this? I unsheathed Masamune and grit my teeth in anxiousness._

_"As I thought. Your eyes will do you no good if I use this genjutsu to shroud your vision in darkness. Don't try and reverse it, either. It's too powerful to be reversed," Hashirama said. His voice echoed throughout the dark. I couldn't tell where his position is! Dammit!_

_"Don't try and do anything. I won't resort to such shameful tactics as to strike at you when you're blind. I just want to tell you something," Hashirama said. I made a tight fist. I had no choice. Hashirama was a truly unique man... the only man that I despised with every part of my being; and the only man that I respected with every fiber of my being as well._

_"Madara, Madara, Madara..." Hashirama said, "I don't think you have any idea how most of the village trusted you. Well, besides your own clan, of course. I even trusted you. Hell, I even suspected that you would be elected Hokage over me. You've taught me that even the trustworthiest people can be utter snakes underneath their innocent appearance. I must applaud you, though, for you manage to string out a giant web of lies that entangled all of the villagers, including me. You promised us peace, but the entire time you were deceiving us with your plans of a powerful war-centered nation. I can only assume that was your goal. So you betray us and selfishly think of only yourself as you try to destroy the village. Think of all of the people that used to trust you. Of course the remaining Uchihas would side with us: you left them to pick up your mess. Just think of the legacy you will leave now. Although, for some reason I suspect that future generations will not know of the horrible deeds you did. They'll probably be covered up."_

_Hashirama took a deep breath as he continued; "It's people like you that bring Armageddon closer to this world. Why can't we all treat our fellow men with more respect and kindness? But anger and hate reign, and people die on both sides. Life is coming to that. Fear, misunderstanding, and ignorance is leading to death. Why can't we mend that? Shouldn't it be easy to mend? If both sides get down and discuss things, chances are peace can be made. But there is one fatal flaw, Madara. People like you, who don't want peace. Your entire life is centered upon death and misery; either from your point of view or what you inflict on others. Did you ever stop and think that humanity is a fragile thing that can easily be ended? Of course not. You wouldn't think that. Your life benefits from death, pain, and despair," he said, finishing his speech._

_I became enraged. He had completely revealed every truth about me! How dare he! I began madly swinging Masamune in hopes of hitting him, but I knew it was futile. Deep down, I knew what he said was completely true. Now I knew why this man became Hokage over me. Hashirama was certainly one hell of a man. But my rage and hatred snuffed out my respect for him and the acknowledgment of his words._

_Light suddenly returned to my vision. Hashirama had removed the darkness. I was caught off guard as I shielded my eyes. Suddenly I felt the ground beneath me rise and contort. Horrified, I looked down to see that Hashirama's roots restrained me. I saw Hashirama walking towards me, his sword in hand._

_"This is it, Madara. Goodbye," Hashirama said as he raised his sword._

_I laughed. What a fool! He completely ignored me mentioning the powerful jutsus that my sharingan could make! As I activated the eternal mangekyo, I could see that Hashirama realized his fatal mistake. I used my left eye's ability: Tsukiyomi, the ultimate genjutsu._

_"What is this?" Hashirama asked in fear as Tsukiyomi affected him._

_"The ultimate genjutsu from the mangekyo sharingan!" I exclaimed as the roots became untangled, "As long as you are trapped in this genjutsu, Tsukiyomi, I can control everything you do and everything you experience! Time and space mean nothing in this technique! Although, what's the fun in that? I just wanted to be free..."_

_I stopped Tsukiyomi and tapped into both of my eyes for my personal mangekyo ability, "Now, for the ultimate taijutsu, Zentetsu!"_

_All of a sudden everything moved incredibly slowly as I felt a huge surge of energy in my body. Zentetsu brought such a rush when I used it, for it slowed time and it brought a huge rush of strength into my body! I ran over and proceeded to beat Hashirama with my fists. It was so... relaxing to see him suffer all of this pain in slow motion. After what seemed like hours, I felt that he had had enough. I deactivated Zentetsu._

_Hashirama fell over and coughed up blood. I must've broken several bones of his in my rush, not to mention countless other injuries. I laughed crazily._

_"WHAT GOOD WILL THOSE WORDS DO YOU NOW!?!" I shrieked as my right eye became incredibly bloodshot. Amaterasu, the ultimate ninjutsu, fired from my right eye. The black flames engulfed Hashirama, who screamed such delightful screams as he was slowly consumed by the dark fire. Soon he was gone, the only remnants of him being a few remaining black flames._

_I was triumphant! Victory had been achieved! I felt blood run down my eyes as I suddenly felt all of my strength leave me. I had used up more chakra than I thought as I fell to the ground._

_I heard... footsteps? I looked in the distance as my feelings sank._

_Hashirama's brother, Tobirama. He was approaching, along with several other people. They had defeated my undead army! NO!_

_I... lost... after all..._

_Of course, Tobirama would also assume me defeated, just like his brother did. One mistake after another... is that what the Hokages are?_

* * *

After searching, Hidan found a decent sized empty room away from where he kidnapped Kurenai. He entered it and harshly threw Kurenai to the ground as he closed the door. He turned to her with a smirk as he eyed her body. Kurenai stood up and tried to shield her body from his lecherous eyes, but what good would that do?

"Geez, you're not even fucking unclothed yet and you're already acting like I fucking ripped off your top," Hidan said.

"L-Leave me alone!" Kurenai stuttered, "GO AWAY!!!"

"Hmm... fuck that," Hidan said, "I've been sealed in a hole for a month. I haven't been able to beat off or purge these sexual thoughts I've been having anyway. Since you're fucking hot, I think I'll rape you. I bet that fag Shikamaru is trying to find us right now, but this location seems good to throw him off as I fuck the living shit out of you."

Hidan cornered her against a wall and began to rip off her clothing. Kurenai whimpered as she slapped and tried to fend him off, but Hidan only smiled at her.

"All you're accomplishing by resisting is giving me more pleasure..." Hidan chuckled. He had removed her top when Kurenai bit her lip and smacked him as hard as she could. Hidan flinched from the blow as he caressed his sore cheek.

"You... BITCH!" Hidan yelled as he slammed her neck against the wall. He squeezed it tightly, but in a manner that Kurenai could still breathe every now and then. He violently grabbed and ripped off her pants and undergarments, leaving her naked and bruised from the areas that he grabbed tightly. Hidan grinned lecherously as he slid her to the floor.

"S..stop...please..." Kurenai choked, tears flowing down her face, "...I'm begging you... I'm pregnant..."

"Pregnant!? That makes it more exciting!" Hidan exclaimed as he removed his pants. He then entered Kurenai and rapidly thrusted into her with great force. He had released his grip on Kurenai's neck, but Kurenai couldn't do anything to escape as her body surged with pleasure. Moans of pleasure mixed with cries of pain and suffering constantly escaped her mouth as she stared at this despicable man.

_Why? Why me?_ Kurenai thought. She suddenly moaned as her body reached an orgasm. Hidan swiftfully left her. Kurenai began to bawl loudly.

"That was fucking great," Hidan sighed, "Asuma was a lucky bastard to have a bitch like you to fuck."

"SHUT UP!!!" Kurenai shrieked in fury, "DON'T YOU EVER SPEAK ILL OF HIM, YOU VILE ANIMAL!"

She instinctly stood up and walked over to slap him once more, but he caught her arm and quickly snapped her wrist, breaking it. She cried out in pain.

"Shut the fuck up. You're useless to me now," Hidan said as he slammed her against the wall. Kurenai's vision blurred as she felt the back of her head warm with blood. Hidan picked up his scythe and began beating Kurenai with the blunt end of it.

"How's that feel, you worthless bitch!" Hidan indignantly shouted, "Filthy whore! You're only good for fucking and nothing else!"

Once he saw visible bruises form on her skin, Hidan was satisfied with beating her. He saw her eyes, all hope and spirit drained from them. She had given up. Her fate was now in his hands. Hidan grinned. This was why he loved killing women. Time to end her life.

He then moved the scythe and cut open her gut with the blades. She cried out in pain as blood fell from her mouth. Hidan eyed the placenta. He cut it open with much care before dropping the scythe and ramming his hand inside of it to pull out her unborn son. Kurenai went into shock as her body locked up. Her eyes were locked open as she saw Hidan hold the small fetus that was her and Asuma's child. Hidan looked at her, his eyes filled with malice and cruelty, as he squeezed the fetus tightly, blood and juices squirting out of his fist. Tears began flowing out of Kurenai's eyes as she lost all hope. She fell to her knees and bowed her head, staring at the wound in her stomach. Why can't death come faster?

Hidan wasn't satisfied enough. He grabbed her chin and made Kurenai look him in the eye.

"I want you... to eat your son..." Hidan said with an inhumanly cruel grin. He then shoved the bloody pulp into Kurenai's mouth and forced her to chew it while rubbing her throat to make her swallow. Blood and other unpleasant flavors entered Kurenai's mouth as slight crunches were heard from the chewy mess. It was so horrible, so horrible...

She vomited, expelling all that was attempted to be forced down her throat, along with the contents of her stomach, and blood. She fell to the ground as Hidan released her. She cried softly as she went into the fetal position. The smell of vomit and blood filled the air. She closed her eyes, hoping for everything to end. Her wish was granted shortly after. Hidan scoffed and turned away from her corpse.

He still wasn't satisfied.

He turned around and removed his pants once again as he picked up Kurenai's corpse. He began to rape it once more, with the addition of cutting it up with his scythe. Organs, bile, and blood fell from Kurenai's corpse as he violated and raped it further. Hidan cackled insanely as he proceeded with his sickening act.

That's when Shikamaru entered the room. He threw open the door in a panic. His eyes gazed at the scene before him as his stunned mind tried to comprehend what was happening.

Shikamaru turned around and immediately vomited. Too many thoughts were flowing through his head right now. Hatred and rage towards Hidan, sorrow of Kurenai's fate, immense fear of what Hidan was capable of... but overall, he had failed. He had failed to protect Kurenai. He whimpered before kneeling down and crying.

Hidan scoffed as he exited the bloody mess that used to be Kurenai. He put his pants back on and threw off his cloak, which landed over the pile of blood and vomit, covering it.

"Look the fuck towards me, you sunnuva bitch," Hidan demanded. Shikamaru shakily got up and turned and stared into Hidan's violet eyes. So much anger and hatred flowed through Shikamaru as he stared into those eyes. Hidan felt the same way as he looked into Shikamaru's dull and teary eyes. There was something about today... that made Hidan remember just how he became accepted by Jashin in the first place... and to think now he was the last of the Jashin cult...

* * *

_I used to be a guard of the "Steam Village." It was a hot springs resort located in a rather lush, oasis-like area of the Sand Country. Rich people would always visit the resorts, which made it a prime target for criminals. In retort, the people leading the resorts decided to hire mercenaries to protect the people who went to the resort. Me being a rather poor sand ninja in search of easy money, I gladly accepted the offer._

_The people who owned the resorts really made this whole hired mercenary thing overdramatic. We had unique equipment that made us look like we were actually from another village! Different colored ninja jackets and a headband with three squiggly lines; to signify steam, I suppose._

_Being a guard at the "Steam Village" was pretty easy. The occasional criminal would show, and you get to beat them up. Fairly easy. Most of the day was spent relaxing and doing basically nothing. Hell, once a week we could use the hot springs, free of charge! And you get decent pay, too! It was the perfect job! Except I enjoyed fighting these criminals... it was a perfect way to make myself feel better._

_It all started to become more difficult, though, when the owners of the resorts decided to also make it a hotel. Late at night people would get abducted from their rooms, never to return. Nobody could find the murderers, and several mercenaries left in fear. Only the bravest ones were left._

_One night was when everything changed. There were six of us left, and one of the mercenaries came in through our earpiece and said he'd spotted the abductors and that he needed backup. We immediately headed towards the location he said he was at._

_We arrived to find his corpse against a wall. Above him, on the wall, was an inverted triangle set in a circle. It was painted with his own blood. He had failed. Well, that's what we thought until one of the mercenaries, Ryouta, noticed a cloaked figure in the distance beckoning to us. It was holding a bloodied knife. We quickly chased after him, but he was fast. He seemed to be leading us somewhere. Probably into a trap, but we couldn't back down! He had killed one of the mercenaries, and the few that stayed in the Steam Village had become good friends!_

_We were lead to the ruins of a temple. We had lost sight of the cloaked man, so we cautiously approached. More cloaked men leaped at us and attacked us! We fought valiantly, but one by one my friends were slain until I was the only one left. I surrendered. As they approached me, preparing to take my life, I glanced at the corpses of my friends. Memories flashed through my mind. Not memories of my times with them, but memories of how beautifully they were executed by these cloaked men. I suppose they saw this reflected in my eyes, for they did not kill me. I glanced at them and noted that under their hoods they all had violet eyes. Also, they all wore necklaces with the symbol that was in blood earlier._

_"What is wrong? The fear has fled from your eyes," one of them spoke._

_"You... you are all skilled killers," I said, "I... I think I want to join you, if that's possible."_

_"I see Jashin has brought us another willing member..." one man said._

_"Jashin?" I asked._

_"Our lord and master. He is the God of Death. By drinking his blood he has granted us his power..." the man said. Was that why they had violet eyes? The man held out his hand, "Come. We have much to teach you."_

_I would end up slaughtering everyone in the "Steam Village," Yugakure. I would end up killing everyone in my old settlement in the wind country._

_Jashin blessed me more than the others... he gave me invincibility. It was his sign that I was chosen as his favorite._

_And as his favorite, I killed all of the inferior members in his cult._

* * *

They continued staring at each other. Shikamaru tried to hold back his tears, but what he had witnessed was too much. He still felt sick to his stomach, too.

"One month," Hidan said, "That's how long I've been in that fucking hole. One month. Do you have _any_ idea of what I've experienced? I was unable to eat or drink! Fuck, I couldn't even _breathe_ or _blink!_ My eyes were sealed open by the earth, staring into an unchanging brown wall for _an entire month!_ I couldn't even _sleep!_ Everytime I tried to relieve my boredom, my thoughts always drifted to you. I went _insane._ _You_ sealed me in that fucking hole. I fucking _hate you._ I festered an undying hate for you. I'm going to fucking kill you and continue fucking killing everyone close to you!!!"

"SHUT UP!!!" Shikamaru yelled as he punched Hidan in the chest. Hidan didn't react to the blow.

"Fucking pathetic!" Hidan yelled as he kneed Shikamaru in the chest. Shikamaru instantly felt winded as he began to fell, but Hidan grabbed his ponytail and lifted him by it. Shikamaru groaned in pain before a powerful blow to the gut temporarily silenced the pain. Shikamaru coughed up a glob of spit as Hidan threw him against a wall and kicked him sharply in the chest. Hidan spat on Shikamaru and cruelly grinned.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you," Hidan said lowly.

_Dammit, body, MOVE!!!_ Shikamaru thought as he suddenly gained a huge surge of strength. He got up and exited the room and fled a distance from Hidan, ignoring the pain he was experiencing. He looked and saw Hidan approaching him. He was already carving the Jashin symbol into the ground with his scythe. Shikamaru quickly reacted and extended his shadow. It caught Hidan's shadow, immobilizing him.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, we both know this will only delay your death," Hidan said, "Stop fucking stalling. Embrace your death!"

Shikamaru tried his hardest to ignore Hidan as he tried to focus. He formed the concentration symbol with his hands as he closed his eyes and thought to himself.

_It looks like there's no way out of this..._ he thought, _I'm at a huge disadvantage. I charged like a fool into a fight I can't win. This is a close-quarters combat situation inside a building... there's hardly anything I can use to my advantage. My enemy excels at close range fighting... how the hell do I win? Okay, Shikamaru, calm down... the only chance I have is to find some sort of weapon and catch him off-guard. If he's immortal, most tools that would be in this building would be useless. I'd need something that could completely crush his head. Like a sledgehammer. But would there be one in this building? I'd have to quickly break this jutsu and flee... but that'd give Hidan a chance to wound me as I run, and then he can complete his circle. Dammit!_

He made his decision. He had to succeed. His eyes shot open as he cancelled his shadow jutsu and bolted down the hallway. He knew where a sledgehammer would be located: in the janitor's closet. He remembered seeing it there once. Hopefully nobody took it and tried to use it to kill any zombies. Instinct made him duck and slide before he rounded the corner. He heard the whoosh of Hidan's scythe flying over his head as it crashed into a wall. Shikamaru quickly got up and continued running.

"Little fuck..." Hidan grumbled as he tugged on the rope attached to the end of his scythe, freeing it from the wall. He opened the bottom of his scythe and slid out his religious pike from the inside of the scythe handle as he put the bottom back on. He quickly finished carving Jashin's symbol on the ground before he began walking after Shikamaru. Hidan was in no rush. They were on the second floor; Kakuzu and everyone else being on the first. If Shikamaru went to the first floor for backup, Kakuzu and Hidan would unite and easily defeat the survivors. No doubt the kid would circle the second floor just to stall. He was too smart to do something as stupid as try to get help.

Shikamaru had arrived at the janitor's closet. He flung it open and searched frantically through the cleaning supplies. He saw the sledgehammer sitting there, and it beckoned to him. He quickly grabbed it with two hands and ran out of the room. He saw Hidan approaching him from the other end of the hallway. He grinned as he carved another Jashin symbol relatively quickly in the ground. He whirled around his scythe once more with the rope on the end of it and threw it at Shikamaru once more. Shikamaru tried to dodge, but it nicked his arm. Hidan pulled the scythe back and licked the small bit of blood on the blade. He grinned as he clasped the Jashin necklace and closed his eyes, muttering a prayer.

Shikamaru had to act now! He ran forward with all of the speed he could muster. He saw the skeletal pattern begin to form on Hidan's skin. He yelled as he raised the sledgehammer and leapt up. Hidan opened his eyes and grit his teeth as he aimed his pike at Shikamaru. Shikamaru swung downwards with all the might he could summon. The hammer connected with Hidan's head, knocking him to the ground as his skull was crushed with an oddly satisfying splat as blood and brain matter pooled out. Shikamaru dropped the sledgehammer and panted as he fell. He backed away from Hidan's corpse by crawling backwards. He didn't want to take his eyes off of Hidan in case he sprung to life and attacked him again.

Nothing. He had ended the silver haired immortal's life, along with the Jashin cult. Shikamaru took a deep breath and began to sob. He was a failure! He couldn't keep his promise to Asuma! He bowed his head in shame and stood up. The pike fell from Shikamaru's chest, a few drops of blood falling from the tip. Shikamaru clutched the wound tightly. The pike had pierced his heart. He coughed up blood as he fell to his knees. Tears and darkness began clouding his vision.

_Damn it all..._ he thought as he fell fully to the ground. The darkness consumed his vision until all was lost to it.


	23. Chapter 23: Showdowns Deux

The Necromancer, Chapter 23:

He sensed it. He felt the life of three people fade. Two of the three were recent, but the third was fresh, but not that recent. The third body must've been in hiding, for he didn't sense it until now. He was no longer in control. He had lost control long ago. The resurrector commanded him to head towards the bodies, and his body and mind complied. He moved through the building, away from the commotion, and arrived at a door. He opened it and saw the body of a girl with two buns in her hair. Her body was fresh. A cut across her neck and a blade still clutched in her hands meant that she had killed herself. It didn't matter to Sasori, no, the controlled Sasori.

He leaned down and formed some hand seals. The corpse was immediately engulfed in a bright orange glow. The left hand of Sasori twitched slightly, for he was trying to resist the control of Madara, who brought him back to life and used some sort of technique to put him under control. This jutsu he was just forced to use, making a puppet with that foreign jutsu... it went against all of his morals and methods as a puppet master.

His thoughts were immediately silenced by the click of wood against the floor. A hazy cloud fogged over his mind as his body placed a seal on the puppet of the girl. It vanished in a puff of smoke. He would now be able to summon it at any time by unveiling a scroll. His body lurched upwards, and like a machine, began heading towards the next two bodies.

When he arrived, he recognized the body of Hidan. The cloud of control briefly faded away when he saw Hidan. He had always hated Hidan and his horrible violent ways of dealing with people. He gazed at the body of the other man near him. He had no doubt valiantly slain Hidan, but died of an injury shortly afterwards. The fog of control once again set in...

He lurched over to the corpse of the man that had killed Hidan. How he wanted to _not_ make a puppet out of that person, but his body was at the command of the resurrector. He formed the handseals of that jutsu he had used on the girl, and the glowing light enveloped the corpse of the man.

The fog briefly scattered as Sasori gained a momentary surge of control. He quickly canceled the jutsu, causing the body to fall. He gazed at it, trying to inspect it, but the cloud of control once again glazed over his mind. Sasori then walked off, ignoring Shikamaru.

During the jutsu, all faulty organs would've been replaced by puppetized ones powered by Madara's chakra. His pierced heart had been fixed and his dead brain was given a surge of power and life. But he was not exposed to the jutsu enough to be fully turned into a puppet. A beat came from his heart, and the blood flowed in a slightly different manner, but it still spread throughout the body properly enough.

Unknowingly, Madara had granted pure life to someone. The first method of completely, truly bringing back the dead, but this would remain unknown for eternity.

But for now, Shikamaru remained unconscious. His fate was not over, and his body would need the rest for what is to come...

* * *

Madara's mind returned to the present. The truth was now clear to him... yet, he didn't want to believe it. Crazily, he pointed at Jiraiya.

"LIES!!! YOU'RE LYING!!!" he shrieked in demented rage.

Jiraiya laughed heartily at this comment, "You're crazy, Madara!"

"SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!" Madara yelled as he charged forward and tackled Jiraiya. Both of them suddenly vanished.

"Jiraiya!" Naruto called out in worry.

"Don't worry. The two are battling elsewhere now," Kakuzu said as he cracked his knuckles, awaiting the eventual battle. There were footsteps heard coming down the stairs in the lobby. Several turned to look, and the most shocked of all was Sakura as she saw the redhead enter the room.

"Did I miss anything?" Sasori asked emotionlessly.

"Not much, Sasori. Boss sort of flipped out, though," Kakuzu said.

Sasori nodded as he suddenly threw off his cloak and charged forward. The large arms with blades for fingers burst out of his shoulders and grabbed some of the survivors as he vanished.

"_Sakura!!!"_ Naruto cried out. Sasori had taken her along with Lee, Guy, Sai, Karin, Jugo, Kiba, and Akamaru.

"Focus on the fight, kid," Kakuzu said, snapping Naruto's attention to the fight. His allies against Kakuzu were Yamato, Hinata, Gemna, Ibiki, Suigetsu, and Sasuke. He readied himself...

* * *

They were suddenly released from the grasp of the puppet arms. The eight tumbled across the surface for a bit before straightening themselves. They were on the roof of the Administration Building, the moans of the undead echoing throughout the village. Sasori stood there with a smug look on his face.

"Vile fiend! The power of youth will defeat you!" Guy exclaimed as he turned to Lee, "Right, Lee?"

Lee had a terrified look on his face, "Lee?"

Guy decided to look, and the same face Lee had appeared on his face.

"T-Tenten!" Guy said in shock.

"Do you like her? I found her, dead, and I decided to make her mine," Sasori said as he twirled the puppetized Tenten around to show her off. Sakura was appalled... somehow Sasori was alive and now he shows such a blatant disregard for respecting the departed!

"L-let's protect them, Jugo," Karin suggested. Jugo nodded as the two went over to defend Guy and Lee, who were shocked senseless.

"How are you alive again?" Sakura asked firmly, trying not to fly into a rage, "Why are you attacking us if you wanted to die in the first place?"

The inner Sasori tried to speak his true thoughts, but they were silenced out by the cloud of control, "Master Madara brought me back to life, and his orders I will carry out," he spoke.

_Something's wrong, but... what?_ Sakura thought.

"You're really pissing me off!!!" Kiba shouted, interrupting Sakura's thought, "How _dare_ you take one of our friends and turn her into a tool to use against us! Fang Over Fang!"

Kiba formed the handseals and Akamaru turned into a copy of Kiba. They began the whirling charge towards Sasori, who defended himself with the puppet of Tenten. Kiba and Akamaru fell back for a brief rest, only to discover that they had destroyed the puppetized Tenten.

_Rest in peace, Tenten..._ Kiba thought as he prepared another attack.

"Oh well... it's not like she had any special abilities..." Sasori said nonchalantly as he suddenly aimed his right elbow at the group, several needles firing from it. Sakura, Kiba, and Sai quickly dodged the needles, but the others weren't so lucky.

"Hmm... three on one... I'll take that," Sasori smirked.

"Di-DID YOU POISON THEM!?!" Kiba yelled in rage.

"Yes, but it isn't lethal... they're just paralyzed currently," Sasori said, "And they will remain unable to move until they die," he added with a wicked grin.

Sai and Sakura gasped. Akamaru whimpered as he tried to move, but couldn't.

"WHY YOU SUNNUVA BITCH!!!" Kiba yelled as he charged forward in rage. Sasori smirked and batted Kiba away with the puppet arm emerging from his shoulder. Kiba winced in pain as the blades cut into him. Sakura quickly ran over to heal him. Sasori sighed in disappointment as he eyed the group before him.

"Did I paralyze the wrong people?" he asked to himself in a mocking manner.

"Kiba... you can't do much without Akamaru. Stay back and see if the others are safe," Sai said emotionlessly, but with force behind his voice. Sakura finished healing him, and Kiba reluctantly complied.

"So... just two? I'll do you a favor and lead us away from the helpless," Sasori said as he leapt back a few times to distance them. Sakura and Sai followed him until they closed the distance.

_Something's definitely wrong here... this isn't like him at all..._ Sakura thought anxiously.

"Sakura! Look out!" Sai warned her. Sakura saw Sasori's stomach cord heading towards her, the pointed tip sharp and dripping with poison. She couldn't dodge! She closed her eyes, but nothing happened. She quickly opened them and saw that a shield of ink had blocked the attack. She quickly rolled out of the way as it pierced through Sai's ink shield and moved to home in on her. She was prepared this time. She ran towards the cord and weaved out of the way of its strike as she grabbed the cord and pulled it until it snapped. She tossed the end with the stinger off the roof. It was useless now. Sakura turned to face Sasori and saw that he was using a flamethrower protruding from his left hand to torch down the plethora of ink beasts Sai was quickly drawing to distract him.

"Sai! Can you draw me a blade?" Sakura called out. Sai soon tossed her an ink blade while drawing the ink animals. The flamethrower began to sputter as it ran out of fuel. Sasori had a grim look on his face as his two shoulder arms ripped apart the ink ram charging him. Sakura tightly gripped the blade of ink, which was surprisingly smooth and solid, as she charged Sasori.

_Damn! I can't do anything without my puppets! What was master Madara thinking?_ the false Sasori thought. The real Sasori answered back, _He's using me as a tool. A distraction..._ of course, his controlled self wouldn't reply back. There wasn't even really a point talking to it. He just needed to break free...

The shoulder arms dived at Sakura, but she dropped the blade and forcefully ripped them off of Sasori, tossing them aside. Sasori was now defenseless. She picked up the ink blade and continued her charge.

_I... need to be free... I can't die once more with my name tarnished like this..._ Sasori thought, _I must break free!_

Sakura thrust the blade at Sasori's heart, but Sasori managed to move to where the blade pierced the part of the chest that was right of the heart. Sasori suddenly fell and shook in fear.

"P-Please stop!" Sasori pleaded with them, "I was under control!"

Sakura stopped her attack, but she and Sai remained on guard.

"Madara... he used some sort of jutsu to control me against my will," Sasori explained, "I _did_ want to die in our previous encounter, Sakura. I was happy dead. But now... Madara has dishonored my name. I must make it up to you. Nothing you say will change my mind."

"Very well. You can help us first by removing that poison," Sakura said.

"Oh, yes! I forgot... I'll get on that," Sasori said thankfully as he stood up and walked over to the paralyzed people. A needle emerged from his left index finger and he stuck it into each of the poisoned's arms, wiping it off with a cloth after each injection. He muttered an apology to each person as he injected him or her. Soon, everyone was able to move again.

"I can take you to Madara... I'll assist in trying to stop him," Sasori said.

"But you... you _fiend!_ You turned our dearest friend Tenten into a puppet!" Guy indignantly exclaimed.

"I'm deeply sorry for you, but... she was already dead when I came across her..." Sasori said as he began removing the cable inside of his stomach cavity. He switched subjects, "I can sense Madara's presence. I can take you there as long as you hide in my stomach cavity. I'm surprisingly hollow and all of my puppet tools have been destroyed, so there should be room to fit one person at a time. And since I am wooden, the zombies can't turn me. So... who's first?"

Jugo volunteered to go first. He could barely fit inside the stomach cavity. One by one, people left with Sasori for a lengthy time until he returned, unscathed. Soon Sakura was the only one left. She walked towards Sasori, who warmly smiled at her. She smiled back and she climbed into his stomach cavity. Sasori closed it as he began walking.

Sakura was intrigued by the whole experience. It felt odd as Sasori moved and the inside of his body was rather neat looking. It was strangely comforting being curled up inside him. Things started to change when she heard the moans become louder.

She soon heard several feet shuffling about outside of Sasori, and several loud and close moans. There was scraping as the zombies attacked Sasori. She became frightened at all of the eerie noises. What if a zombie managed to break through Sasori and get to her? How could Sasori remain so calm in the middle of a crowd of flesh eating monsters? She closed her eyes and tried her hardest to filter out the scary noise and thoughts.

She soon heard the stomach cavity open. Her eyes shot open in fear as she made an audible whimper.

"Shh... calm down... we're here, Sakura," Sasori's calming voice said. Sakura sighed in relief as she climbed out of Sasori, who closed his stomach cavity. Sakura looked around and saw the others that were with her on the roof unharmed. She also heard the sounds of a ferocious battle nearby. She looked around, noting they were on a ledge of a lookout tower, a stairway leading to the roof close to them.

"They're up the stairs... I don't know if we can assist, but..." Sasori said, "well... follow me..."

* * *

Black threads began emerging from Kakuzu's mouth and the sleeves of his Akatsuki robe.

"This time I'm not toying with you all," Kakuzu said.

Naruto was prepared, but he needed to share what he knew with the others.

"Kakuzu has multiple hearts, each with a different element! You have to destroy them all!" he shouted, but Kakuzu had already slammed Gemna and Ibiki against a wall with his threads, knocking them out.

_Damn... they already have hearts of the elements I have..._ Kakuzu thought in disappointment as he dropped the two. He turned to face the other five and quickly noticed that the Uchiha had a lightning heart and the man with Hashirama's genes had an earth heart. He recognized the two from Orochimaru's blabbering about his "goals" and "accomplishments." He shot his threads at them, only for a kid with a huge sword to cleave the threads, causing them to fall. Kakuzu growled in annoyance as the threads attached to his body slid downwards and reconnected themselves with the sliced threads. More threads swung themselves at Suigetsu and delivered a powerful blow, but the boy merely turned to liquid, splashed against a wall, and reformed into a physical body.

_What the hell?_ Kakuzu thought. While he was distracted, Naruto formed some shadow clones that charged Kakuzu. More threads punctured through the Akatsuki robe and speared through the clones. Yamato made small roots rise and charge at Kakuzu, but the small threads suddenly coiled together into three large threads that slammed down on the roots, crushing them. As Sasuke activated his sharingan and fired chidori needles at Kakuzu, the large threads uncoiled and rapidly moved around, deflecting the needles. The four dodged the deflected needles as they headed towards them. While this was happening, Hinata peered from around a corner, silently watching the fight. She was too scared to do anything, but she _wanted_ to help them!

"You're not going to kill me this time..." Kakuzu sneered. Yamato made handseals and placed his hands on the floor, causing large roots to burst from the floor beneath Kakuzu and ensnare him.

"Someone, attack! Now! While he's still stunned!" Yamato yelled. Naruto, the quick actor, formed a rasengan and ran forward. Most of Kakuzu's threads were busy prying off the wood. A few rushed at Naruto, but he tore through them with his rasengan, which slammed into Kakuzu's chest. He grunted in pain as he was flung into a wall, his body ripping through the roots. Naruto quickly retreated to go back to his allies.

"Just a minor injury..." Kakuzu said as he stood up, "...and I've found the biggest threat."

The threads suddenly shot towards Yamato. He formed handseals and raised a wall of wood as a shield, but the threads coiled together and smashed the wooden shield before giving a powerful blow to Yamato's head, knocking him out. Suigetsu quickly acted and batted away the threads with his sword, and Sasuke used a chidori on the threads themselves, destroying a good number of them. But they just kept coming! A few dove towards Yamato's chest...

Blood fell to the ground as the threads punctured through the chest of Hinata, whom had thrown herself in the way of the attack. Sasuke quickly unsheathed his blade and severed the threads before they could proceed further, and Suigetsu once again batted away the threads that couldn't hurt his solidus body.

"H-Hinata! W-why did you-?" Naruto asked, tears forming in his eyes. She looked up at him.

"I w-wanted... to p-protect someone..." she said as her eyes closed. Naruto panicked and quickly felt for a pulse. She was still alive.

"Suigetsu! Look for medical supplies!" Sasuke suddenly ordered. Suigetsu sighed.

"Whatever. I can't really hurt this prick anyways," Suigetsu said as he left the room.

Naruto yelled primally as he charged Kakuzu with another rasengan. Kakuzu scoffed as he made a large group of threads slam into Naruto's chest, making him fly back. Sasuke leapt up and caught Naruto.

"We've got to work together to defeat him," Sasuke said.

Naruto nodded. He felt thankful to Sasuke, but... he was still angry at him for leaving the village.

Sasuke fired a chidori beam at Kakuzu, who sidestepped it. However, he tripped over his Akatsuki robe, and fell.

"Fucking robe..." he muttered as he threw it off, revealing his stitched up chest. Most of the threads were seeping out of his pores. He turned around and showed Naruto and Sasuke his back, which had three animal masks stitched to it. A mask that was a red bull, a mask that was a blue fish, and a mask that was a gray bird.

"Fire, water, and wind..." he said as he turned around to face them, "...all I need now is earth and lightning!"

A large mass of threads suddenly appeared behind him, the three animal masks floating within the blob. The bull and bird mask began to glow...

"W-Watch out!" Naruto warned. Sasuke heard the urgency in Naruto's voice as he quickly headed out of the way. Naruto dove over and moved Yamato and Hinata as a large blast of flame and wind headed towards their former position. It burst a rather large hole in the wall. Thankfully no zombies were nearby.

"Stop running!" he yelled as the bull and bird masks readjusted themselves. Naruto had set Yamato and Hinata elsewhere, and he headed away from them so that they wouldn't be harmed. Luckily Gemna and Ibiki were out of the way as well. However, Naruto saw the bull mask staring right at him... and it was glowing...

Sasuke saw this as well. He gasped and headed to save Naruto, but he saw in the corner of his eyes that the bird mask was staring right at him as well. It suddenly burst a huge gust of wind as Sasuke quickly reacted and used the fireball jutsu. The flames pushed the wind back and they melted the bird mask and the heart within it. The large mass of threads caught aflame as well, but the fish mask made a large gush of water to extinguish the flame. Sasuke looked towards Naruto, who had been hit dead on with the blast of flame. He was screaming in pain, as he was on fire. Thinking quickly, Sasuke ran over to Naruto and used a very quick fire jutsu to set ablaze the mass of threads again. The fish mask charged up, and to Sasuke's luck, aimed at him instead, since the flame started by his fire jutsu wasn't enough.

_Heh... looks like the kid ran out of chakra..._ Kakuzu thought, a smile creeping across his face, as the fish mask unleashed a large burst of water. Sasuke quickly moved out of the way since his sharingan detected the very moment the jutsu would be used. Naruto was cleansed with the raging waters, putting out the fire. He was also thrust painfully against the floor, but the pain was miniscule compared to the flames.

"What the _hell?_" Kakuzu swore, "You... you fucking _tricked me!!!_ That's _it!_"

Sasuke went back over to Naruto and helped him up. Thankfully he only had a few minor burns.

"Thanks, Sasuke," Naruto said.

"You can thank me later!" Sasuke urged as he pointed towards Kakuzu. The fish and bull masks were glowing. Naruto and Sasuke quickly leapt to the side as the scalding hot geyser-like blast rushed past them, knocking another large hole into the wall.

"Goddamn you! Stay _the fuck still!!!_" Kakuzu yelled in rage as the masks glowed and he formed several handseals.

Naruto quickly formed a rasengan. Sasuke, catching on, formed a chidori.

_No... NO! They'll strike before I can finish my ultimate jutsu!!!_ Kakuzu thought. In panic, he began rushing his handseals. His hands slipped.

"FUCK!!!" he screamed as he looked up, Naruto and Sasuke charging towards him. Or specifically, the large mass of threads behind his head. The chidori and rasengan both hit the mass of threads, the huge surge of energy ripping the threads, masks, and hearts apart. The shockwave was so great Naruto and Sasuke were forcefully hurled backwards as they saw Kakuzu screaming in pain, the energy from the combined attacks destroying his _entire_ thread system inside his body. He was dead once more.

Naruto didn't care, however. He quickly ran over to Hinata and checked her pulse once more. It was there, but it was faint. She was losing blood fast.

"Hinata! Stay with me! _Stay with me!!!_ I need you!!!" Naruto tearfully pleaded to the unconscious girl as he gently shook her.

"I'll find Suigetsu..." Sasuke said as he departed from the room. There were other problems, too. Specifically, the damage to the building caused in the fight. That would also have to be fixed...

However, while Sasuke's thoughts were on the problems, Naruto's thoughts were only focused on Hinata.

He quietly sobbed as the tears ran down his face. He did not want... no, he _could not_ lose her...


	24. Chapter 24: End of Day 2

The Necromancer, Chapter 24:

Sasori led the others up the staircase. He was in the lead just in case an attack headed in their direction so he would be able to protect the others. Sasori stood in the clearing for a few moments as fierce sounds of battle were heard. Sasori beckoned for the rest to come up.

As the others walked atop the very large roof, they saw Jiraiya and Madara locked in fierce combat. Jiraiya's hair had grown sharp and long, and it was heading towards Madara quickly. Madara formed some hand seals and extended a hand towards the hair. A barrier of sorts appeared preventing the hair from accessing Madara. The barrier faded as Madara formed a few more hand seals and fired a large burst of flame at Jiraiya, who leapt out of the way. His hair reverted to normal as he bit his thumb and made some hand seals, summoning a large toad with two swords. The toad charged at Madara, who simply fired another beam of flame at it, making it vanish in a puff of smoke. Jiraiya made more hand seals...

The group with Sasori was awed by the hostility they could feel in the air between the two combatants. They stood and watched... they would be ready if Jiraiya needed backup.

Jiraiya summoned three smaller toads that began forming hand seals as well. Madara quickly acted and used a jutsu that required him to place his hands on the ground. Large spires of stone burst from the rooftop and nailed the three toads, causing them to vanish as well.

"How does it feel to be outclassed in every way?" Madara taunted Jiraiya. Jiraiya was taking deep breaths, "Look at that, you're low on chakra already! Is this all one of the 'legendary' Sannin can offer?"

Jiraiya said nothing as he made a series of hand seals in lightning speed. A huge puff of smoke appeared and was quickly blown away, revealing Jiraiya atop Gamabunta. Madara grit his teeth as he looked up at the massive toad. Surprisingly, the tower could support such weight.

"Well, looks like I'm going to stomp out the accursed fiend that tried to destroy this precious village! Something I've been wanting to do for a _long_ time!" Gamabunta boomed as drank from a gourd he carried before he inhaled. Madara's eyes widened as the massive fireball shot from the toad boss's mouth right towards him. Madara swiftly summoned his Basho fan and made a mighty swing with it. A large gust of air from the fan caused the flames to spread backwards and diminish. Gamabunta shielded his face to protect it from the flames. Madara made another hefty swing, this burst of air slamming into Gamabunta, sending him careening off of the rooftop. Jiraiya unsummoned him, as nothing Gamabunta could do would help now. There was no doubt Madara was too quick to step on or crush with Gamabunta's knife.

"DYNAMIC ENTRYYYY!!!" Guy yelled out as he leapt and delivered a powerful kick to Madara's head. Lee burst forward and delivered an equally powerful uppercut to Madara's chin, sending him flying up. Madara caught himself before he crashed into the ground again.

"If you continue interrupting our fight," Madara threatened, "I will simply unleash the zombie gas upon you all. Get out of my sight."

Guy and Lee grudgingly retreated to the sidelines. The others wanted to help, but now they definitely had no choice at all. They simply couldn't risk a quick rush, for Madara would most likely survive and zombify them all: something they didn't want to happen.

_I've no choice... he's just to strong on his own..._ Jiraiya thought. He placed his still-bleeding thumb and drew extra markings on his face. He then made hand seals and summoned two small toads that hopped upon his shoulders, fusing into them. Jiraiya's nose suddenly swelled and gained warts, making him look toad-like.

"It's my Hermit Mode, and we'll defeat you with it, Madara!" Jiraiya shouted.

"Pfft, just with those two toads and a different nose?" Madara sneered.

"Do it, Ma and Pa," Jiraiya whispered. The two old toads nodded and began making awful screeching noises. Jiraiya charged forward, a huge red rasengan erupting from his hands. Madara scoffed and swung his Basho fan once more, sending Jiraiya flying back. The toads' awful screeching continued, and they reached a harmony. Madara's body suddenly fell numb, his mind slowly numbing as well.

_W-What is this?_ he thought. He activated his mangekyo sharingan and used his skill Zentetsu. Time then slowed into a crawl. He saw four large toad statues surrounding him, and they had formed some kind of cube-shaped energy prison. He still couldn't move... but there had to be some point where he'd come free!

Sasori looked around him to see that the others had frozen up as well. It seems this genjutsu affected everyone who could hear the song. Sasori frowned. It was times like these he still wanted to be human... to be able to hear things clearly instead of through the sound being converted to something his puppet body could comprehend.

Jiraiya summoned a large blade with an intricate design as the toads continued singing. Jiraiya chuckled.

"It's over for you, Madara," he said as he ran forward. Madara heard and watched this in slow motion. He could tell by the flickering of the energy prison from becoming solid to see through that in normal speed, he wouldn't be able to see Jiraiya. Madara braced himself... there had to be some point that the barrier would fade and his body would be unnumbed.

Jiraiya inched closer and closer, the sword was thrust at his heart. He suddenly felt a huge pressure lift from him. He quickly leapt back as the toads stopped signing.

"What? How!?!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Madara cackled as he charged forward to beat on Jiraiya, for he was still slowed by Zentetsu. At least, he _wanted_ to charge forward, but he felt something restraining him. Zentetsu was disrupted by the sudden surprise, and time flowed normally again. Madara looked back to see that Sasori was restraining him. He struggled briefly, but Sasori's limbs were too strong!

"WHY HAVE YOU BETRAYED ME?" Madara shouted, "I-"

"I know what you did," Sasori said, "You put a Seal of Command upon my soul as you drug it from the afterlife. Except you overlooked one problem: I'm not fully human, so your command was not fully effective. Now that I am free, I curse you with every fiber of my being for bringing me back to life. Also, your sharingan techniques don't work on me... my only chakra is in my fingers and heart. Your parlor trick solely belonging to you among your magician's eyes, Zentetsu, that "slows time", merely interferes with the chakra around the brain and eyes to _appear_ to make time slow." Sasori looked up at Jiraiya, "Use that blade to kill us both. I will hold Madara," he said solemnly as his hands shifted over Madara's eyes so that he wouldn't be able to use his sharingan, "I preferred death to a life without my parents. Kill me... drive the blade through my heart, and his... show no remorse."

Jiraiya nodded, "Thank you... Sasori..." he raised the blade and pointed the tip at Madara and Sasori's heart. Madara futilely struggled to be freed, but it was all in vain.

Sakura didn't know why, but she felt her eyes tear up upon seeing Sasori in his final moments. She had loathed this man, but... he wasn't bad at all. Sasori turned to look at Sakura and sadly smiled at her. She made a quiet sob as she turned away. She heard the sword penetrate Madara's chest and his pained cry, a small thunk and Sasori's content parting sigh, and there was silence until three puffs of smoke were heard. Sakura turned around and saw Madara and Sasori on the ground, blood pooling out of a hole in Madara's chest.

"Y-You did it..." Kiba said in awe, with added input by Akamaru's bark.

"YOU KILLED HIM!" Lee yelled, "EXCELLENT JOB, JIRAIYA-SENSEI!"

"This calls... for a celebration of _youth!_" Guy yelled as well.

Jiraiya sighed in relief, "It's over... he's gone..."

He summoned a large toad that picked up the eight. It leapt off the roof, landed on a clearing below, and moved towards the Administration Building.

* * *

"And that should do it," Shikamaru said as he fastened a bandage-like strap on Hinata's chest. Shikamaru had been especially helpful in finding ways to cure Hinata when he suddenly descended from upstairs. Something seemed... different... about him.

"T-thank you all... Sasuke, Shikamaru..." Hinata said, "What about the others?"

"They're okay, they just need time to come to," Shikamaru said lowly.

"Thanks a bunch, you two!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully as he lightly hugged Hinata, being careful not to hurt her, "You don't know how relieved I feel!"

Sasuke said nothing and shifted his sitting position as he looked away from Naruto. Shikamaru abruptly walked away from everything.

"Jeez, what's the matter with you two?" Naruto asked. No reply came from Sasuke.

"I'm sure they have their reasons," Hinata said. Naruto sighed and sat on the couch, taking a seat next to Hinata. He placed his arm around her neck and Hinata scooted closer to him. She sighed contently and closed her eyes as she rested her head against Naruto's chest. Hearing his heartbeat filled her with so much peace and warmth...

"Sasuke, you should return to the village," Naruto bluntly stated as he gazed Sasuke in the eyes. Sasuke turned his head slightly to show that he heard. Sasuke closed his eyes and laughed lightly. Naruto glared at him, "What's so funny?" he asked angrily. Hinata opened her eyes and gazed up at Naruto with a small frown.

"Please... don't start a fight..." she said quietly. Sasuke was laughing loudly now. Naruto looked down at Hinata, "...If he keeps up this prickish attitude, I'm afraid I will..." he said lowly to her before looking up and scowling at the Uchiha boy again.

As his laughter quieted down, Sasuke smiled lightly at Naruto, "There isn't much of a village to come back to, is there?"

There was a brief silence before Naruto began breaking into laughter, and Hinata giggled lightly, happy that the hostility had been dissolved.

"But in all seriousness..." Sasuke said seriously. Naruto stopped laughing, "...I still have to kill my brother."

"We can help you!" Naruto said.

"You're wrong... it's my task alone," Sasuke said as he shifted his position in the chair to directly face Naruto, "I can't get help from _anyone_ else... understand? Stay out of this."

Naruto hmphed and turned his head away from Sasuke. Hinata cuddled closer to his body, and Naruto sighed and cuddled back. Sasuke sighed and turned away from the scene.

_He's such a stubborn mule..._ Naruto and Sasuke thought simultaneously. Sasuke then sighed.

"I'm going elsewhere. Your little cutesy love stuff if making me queasy," Sasuke said as he left the room, leaving the two alone.

"What a big jerk..." Naruto mumbled under his breath. Hinata giggled lightly and embraced him. It didn't matter to her... after all these years of a crush; she finally had her big, lovable, blonde goofball. A horrible shame it had to come in these times, but...

Naruto embracing her back silenced her thoughts. She blushed deeply. This felt so wonderful! Their hands began to rub their backs, washing them over with an ethereal calmness. Everything else seemed to be still... nothing mattered except their love right now. She couldn't even control her body at this point. Before she knew it, her tongue was inside of his mouth. There was a brief pause before they began to passionately kiss each other. This was a new experience for both of them, as never had they the courage (or in Naruto's case, brains) to ask out another. And this new experience was wonderful.

However, this was the time Jiraiya's group were a few feet from the Administration Building. And thanks to the giant holes in the wall due to Kakuzu, Naruto and Hinata making out were in plain view of the entire group. Facepalms galore were had as they gazed upon the scene.

"So... who should tell them to stop?" Kiba asked.

"I don't know, but we better stop them before they start having sex," Sai said bluntly, causing a lot of odd stares to be shot towards him. Sai ignored them as he continued watching, "Boy, they really are getting into it."

_No fair... the kid scored years before I did..._ Jiraiya thought. He sighed, lowering his head, and said aloud, "I'll stop them," as he looked up, a mischievous grin plastered across his face. He began comically tip-toeing over to the two, even though the noise they were making as they shifted around the couch and continued to made out was louder than Jiraiya's normal footsteps.

Sakura, however, was having a different reaction. She felt sickened, betrayed, and slightly jealous at everything. But why? Naruto was just a friend... right? Sasuke was here, after all! He would care for her... right?

_**Chaa! You stupid bitch!**_ Inner Sakura shouted at her, _**You're delusional! That Sasuke's a pompous bastard who thinks you're an annoying little bitch, and you blew off your chance to get Naruto when you had him!**_

_But... that's not true..._ Sakura replied back quietly. Inner Sakura didn't reply, and Sakura turned her head away from the building, trying to forget what she just saw.

Jiraiya was now right next to the two. He had his hands over his mouth and he was giggling lightly as he leaned closer to the couple making love. He then suddenly thrust his hands upon Naruto's shoulders.

"HEEEEEEY THEEERREE!!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Naruto screamed in shock and Hinata yelped as they separated from each other as fast as they could. Jiraiya blinked, and they were opposite each other, against the walls on the lobby. Jiraiya laughed heartily at this amusing scene. Naruto growled, ran up, and punched Jiraiya across the face.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?!" Naruto yelled in anger. Hinata was hiding herself in the corner, her face a deep scarlet. Unlike Naruto, she had eyed the others outside that saw everything.

"T-That's... the love of youth!" Guy cried as he raised a fist in front of his face, tears streaming down his eyes, "I have never seen something so innocent and passionate!"

Naruto heard Guy's voice, and his jaw dropped. His head turned like a sprinkler, slow and jerky, towards the holes in the wall. There he saw Guy, Lee, Sai, Kiba, Akamaru, two of those people Sasuke arrived with, and Sakura.

"AAAAHHHH!!!" Naruto screamed. Jiraiya laughed again, despite the red mark on his face. Sai walked up to Naruto with a grin on his face.

"Well, I didn't know you had it in you," Sai said, his grin cat-like, "I thought you and Sasuke would become butt-buddies the way you talked about him."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?!" Naruto yelled as he tried to punch Sai, but Sai caught Naruto's fist.

Some time passed as things calmed down and everyone unconscious awoke. Naruto and Hinata were incredibly embarrassed at what had happened, and they sat apart from each other, blushing deeply whenever their eyes met. Sasuke had returned into the room, but not Shikamaru. Jiraiya cleared his voice.

"Okay, everyone... I have good news, and bad. The bad news is that we've lost Hanabi, Neji, Tenten, Julia, Ken, and Megumi..." Jiraiya said grimly. Hinata hearing Hanabi and Neji's names reminded her that they were, indeed, gone... she felt saddened and ashamed that she had simply forgotten about that. Jiraiya continued, "...they need burials. The good news will be told after the funerals."

Shikamaru stomped down the stairs.

"_Kurenai..._ she is also dead..." he said with a sharp glare at Jiraiya. His face suddenly became saddened as he looked down to the ground, "I'll take care of her... you don't want to see what happened to her..." he added as he returned upstairs. Jiraiya sighed. The brave went and collected the bodies and went outside with shovels to bury them. Hinata cried softly as Hanabi and Neji's corpses passed by. Naruto hugged her tightly. Kakuzu's body was thrown outside and lit aflame with a fire jutsu by Sasuke.

Everyone (except Shikamaru), was soon back inside the lobby. There was a period of silence, with a few sobs by the saddened people in the room.

"The good news..." Jiraiya said, "Well, I don't even know if I should continue. I'd feel ashamed suddenly shaking off their deaths as if they were nothing."

"No... you can continue..." Hinata spoke up, her voice slightly hoarse, "We're not so human anymore, and if you think about it... it's okay..."

There was another period of information as that sunk in. Naruto thought to himself, _...She's right. The entire village was mostly wiped out, and we never really cared enough as we should._

"Yes," Ibiki said, "in severe crisis's like this, there isn't time to be sad... time to be human... sure, as we sit here thinking about this fact, it is consuming us, but don't let it. Despair will only slow us down. We need all the joy, laughter, and uplifting feelings we can get to survive..."

The entire room felt as if it the air became lighter as people came to acceptance with this.

"Very well... the good news... Madara is dead. Our main threat is gone, and that Otoshi person doesn't seem to be returning. All we have to do now is wait for the reinforcements from Sunagakure to arrive, and everything will be fine!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

Everything started being normal again... people began talking, and laughing... it was amazing what such an effect Hinata and Ibiki's words had, even though they were ambivalent in nature. A few survivors began working on rebarricading the damages to the building caused by Kakuzu. Naruto decided to head to his room early to get some rest... he didn't feel as uplifted as everyone else did. Hinata followed him. They both fell asleep embracing each other.

* * *

Shikamaru was crying as he scooped up what was left of Kurenai into a bag. He didn't feel sick anymore... he had already emptied his stomach. He was the only one who could take care of this... the dry heavings felt painful, but they became normal as time passed. He tied the bag and walked over to a window. He opened it and leapt out of it and found a leftover shovel next to the graves of what he assumed were the victims of the recent fights. He dug a hole and tossed the bag in there, burying it. He said or thought of nothing as he did so.

Nobody had come to speak with him. They probably knew the pain he held within him at the time. Shikamaru leapt back up into the building and walked back to the room where Kurenai was horribly killed. He gazed into it, seeing a patch of dried blood on the floor. He had cleaned all of the blood and vomit on the floor, except that patch. No matter what he used from the janitor's closet, that stain would remain there. He sighed despondently and closed the door.

His eyes fell upon Hidan's corpse. The sledgehammer was still slammed on the ground where his head once was. Shikamaru growled in bestial rage as he picked up the sledgehammer and slammed it on Hidan's corpse over and over. He began chuckling crazily as the body became more and more crushed and bloody. With every crunch, every smash, a small, small piece of his sorrow faded away. He didn't care that he was basically repeating what Hidan did to Kurenai. The man deserved this.

And still, Shikamaru hammered away. Even long after Hidan was unrecognizable.

* * *

The sun was setting, bathing the sky in its luminous orange glow. Except the man walking away from the Administration Building would not be able to see the beautiful sunset. Otoshi was walking towards the observation tower Reiko and Kenokami were staying in.

It was an unusually quiet walk. There were no noises of the undead at all. Where were they?

As he was near the tower, he heard a few moans in the distance. _There they are..._ he thought as he unsheathed his normal katana. He let them approach him as he stood there, fearless.

_A small group... two men and one woman..._ he thought. He quickly lunged forward and rammed his blade into a man's head, killing it. He tried withdrawing it, but it was stuck.

"That's not good..." he said to himself as the second man lunged at him, grabbing Otoshi's left shoulder. Otoshi slammed his fist into the man's face. He heard a crack as the zombie stumbled back. Otoshi turned around and delivered a swift kick to the man's head, knocking him to the ground. Otoshi tried once more to free his sword, but it was still stuck, and the woman was approaching him. Annoyed, he crushed the man's head with his foot, wiping his sandals on the man's clothes.

The woman lunged for him. Otoshi clutched her throat tightly and lifted her up. The woman still moaned as she futilely tried to grasp Otoshi from the air.

"I wish I could see what you look like right now..." Otoshi said, "...your face doesn't show when you make noise. I guess it has to be a living person making noise for it to work. A shame... you sound beautiful."

With that, Otoshi slammed the woman to the ground, her head cracking open upon hitting the ground. Otoshi then walked over to retrieve his sword. He tried yanking it out, but it didn't work.

"Why'd I stab him so hard?" Otoshi sighed as he tried jiggling the blade out. He heard a snap. He frowned as he held up his katana, the blade snapped in half. He growled lightly and threw it away.

"Well... at least I have Masamune... we've been through a lot, Murasame, but this is goodbye," Otoshi said as he walked away from the three dead zombies and continued walking towards the tower...

* * *

Two Akatsuki members sat atop the gates of Konoha. Their shades obscured their faces, and they looked down upon the town. The moon was high in the sky, and it barely lit the dark and lifeless town.

"The town sure has changed..." one member said.

"Indeed," the other one said.

"What's the matter? You seem rather glum. C'mon, we'll get to kill those traitors!" the first member exclaimed. The second one said nothing.

"Let's sleep atop the gates..." the second one said, changing the subject.

"Very well..." the first one said.

* * *

Buzzards and crows pecked at the corpse that was sprawled across the rooftop of a tower. The corpse's two red glowing eyes pierced through the darkness as the birds scattered...


	25. Chapter 25: Day 3's Beginning

The Necromancer, Chapter 25:

It was such a peaceful sleep... everything was perfect. He was embracing the woman of his dreams, her warm breath brushing against his neck. The warmth and passion that eminated from their embrace felt so wonderful... he didn't want to awake from this bliss.

"Wakey wakey, Kenokami and Reiko..." an all-too-familiar voice said, piercing the stillness of their sleep. The two mumbled and stirred, and Kenokami was the first to sit up. He was a bit dumbed, since he just awoke, and he sleepily stared at the scene before him.

Otoshi was smiling lightly as he was sitting upon a chair, watching the two. He was resting an elbow on his knee, and the hand of that arm was flat against his chin. Kenokami stupidly blinked as his mind tried piecing together what was happening. Reiko halfway sat up and rubbed her eyes as she yawned.

"YOU!" Kenokami suddenly screamed, pointing at Otoshi, "WHAT THE HELL?" Reiko yelped at the sudden burst of noise that woke her. Otoshi chuckled lightly as the couple's expressions soon became grim.

"Took you long enough to wake up," Otoshi said, "I've been waiting for you to get up for _quite_ a while."

Reiko whimpered slightly as she clung to her blue haired guardian. She glared at Otoshi, even though he wouldn't be able to see it.

"What do you want?" she asked angrily, a hint of anxiety in her voice.

"Oh, this is _rich!_" Otoshi exclaimed, "You think I'm a _threat_ now, hmm? Anyways, once you two are ready, we'll fight for leadership of this damned village."

"What the hell are you up to, you piece of shit?" Kenokami cursed at Otoshi, lurching forward slightly as he grit his teeth and glared at the man.

Otoshi grinned, "I'm just being polite, that's all. Would you prefer it if I simply killed you in your sleep? There's no fun in that, and surely you agree with me. Plus, I could've simply forced you both awake and controlled one of you. Then my new puppet would gladly obey my commands to violently slaughter the other! _That_ would've been fun! But, here we are," he said.

"You're demented... you're sick," Reiko said quietly.

"Says the woman that turned an entire village into the undead," Otoshi said, "you _really_ should learn your room to speak."

"You fucker!" Kenokami growled as he lunged for Otoshi. He knocked the now empty chair beside, and he restrained himself. Otoshi was now in between the two, his Masamune katana pointed at the back of Kenokami's neck. He sheathed the blade before he was attacked.

"Tch, I could've killed you there, too. Well, when you're ready, I'll be outside this building somewhere. Rest assured, I'll hear you exiting the tower. Only do so when you're absolutely prepared," Otoshi said. He then walked out of the room, saying a small "Ta-ta!" as he left.

Reiko sprung up from the bed and worriedly embraced Kenokami. They began kissing passionately as their hands stroked each other's backs. They didn't want to lose each other... and this might be the last time they were able to show their love to each other...

* * *

Naruto shielded his eyes from the ray of light that peeped through the window. He stirred for a bit before mumbling and getting up. He stretched and yawned as he gazed upon the room. Hinata was next to him, and she was safe and sound. Naruto's eyes drifted over to a clock on the wall that revealed that it was a bit after sunrise.

Naruto sighed despondently. He felt depressed, but he had no idea why. He absentmindedly began stroking Hinata's hair. The silken strands running over and between his fingers calmed him somewhat.

_**Well, kid, this is it. Probably the last day in this wretched village if those reinforcements arrive,**_ the Kyuubi said, _**and yet... I still feel that everybody is going to die here. Rest assured, I'm **_**not**_** letting you die. I don't care if anyone else you know dies... I'm out for my own survival...**_

Naruto grumbled incoherently as he ignored the Kyuubi's message and continued stroking his love's hair. The Kyuubi was known for speaking rubbish... why would they all die this day? They had eliminated all oppositions!

_Kenokami... Otoshi... The Necromancer..._ he thought grimly, _They're still out there. But they're nothing compared to Madara! ...Right?_

Naruto bit his lip as he laid back down and hugged the sleeping Hinata tightly. The grip he had on her calmed him immensely. He sighed ambivalently with anxiety and contentment as he rubbed his head against her back. As long as he was with her, he would feel peace.

* * *

"Finally... we've made it," Gaara said as he gazed into the distance, seeing the gates of Konoha.

"About time, too," Kankuro said, "I just hope we've made it in time."

"Don't worry about it," said a man with long black hair that went just past his neck. He wore a black tanktop with a red Sunagakure emblem on it, and he wore khaki pants with some pouches for ninja tools on them, "I'm sure Tsunade was resilient enough to protect most of the people."

"Are you so sure, Bankou-sensei?" Temari asked the man who just spoke, "I mean, the letter was urgent, and we received it two days ago..." she frowned, her face filled with anxiousness.

Bankou's face turned serious, "Trust me. I know Tsunade well... the Sannin and I go way back. There's no way she'd be taken down so easily."

"And don't worry about the time it took for us to get here," Baki piped in, "a sandstorm halted our travels, and there was nothing we could do about that."

Temari still didn't look convinced as she sighed with slight frustration. Matsuri walked up to her and gave her a small smile, "C'mon, don't be so worried! I'm sure everything will work out just fine..." she said. Temari took a deep breath and smiled at her.

"I suppose you're right. No point in stressing over things," she said to Matsuri. Temari looked at Bankou. The man was Suna's strongest ninja, but he was much of a wanderer and never really stopped by the village. However, he recently had a change in heart and decided to settle in the village once more, offering to train Temari and her two brothers. The man housed many secrets behind that friendly exterior... Temari could feel it.

Near the back of the group walked three more people. In the very back was a man wearing a normal Suna flak jacket with a black bandanna headband and a dark gray veil covering his face, a darkened face wearing black sunglasses visible underneath. His jacket was unzipped, several different kinds of kunai on the insides of the jacket, and he was carrying a large shuriken strapped to his back.

In front of him were two others. There was a very tall, big, muscular man that was slightly hunched over. He wore an equally large Suna flak jacket with a large sword and scroll strapped to his back. He had a bold face with visible stubble and short black slightly spiky hair. Next to him was a slender woman with long ebony hair with a few dark crimson streaks in it. She wore a red warrior dress, black boots, and she carried a quiver filled with arrows along with a silver chain around her waist. She had golden catlike eyes to match her catlike face.

The woman grinned impishly as she hopped up and down a few times, "YEAH! I CAN'T WAIT TO KILL THOSE MONSTERS THAT TSUNADE WOMAN TALKED ABOUT!!!" she shouted. The tall man next to her looked down at her with an annoyed look.

"Akira, it would be terribly unwise to just go and fight all of these monsters when we know little to nothing about them," he scolded her. The woman, Akira, looked up at the big man and stuck out her lower lip in a childish pout.

"You're such a spoil-sport, Qian Fu!" Akira complained.

"You two... stop bickering..." Gaara called out from the front of the crowd. Akira sighed sharply and Qian Fu shook his head.

"Yoichiro, why don't you ever do anything? You're so boring!" Akira said to the man in the back.

"I only do things that are necessary," the man said with a dark and deep voice that was rather odd and slightly unnerving coming from a man of that physique.

"Boooo~ring," Akira said in a singsong voice.

The group was now at the gates. A large message was painted upon the walls: 'To the Sunagakure reinforcements: we are barricaded in the Administration Building.'

"ALRIGHT! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED AND KICK SOME MONSTER ASS!!!" Akira shouted while throwing a few punches to an invisible target.

"Please do us all a favor and stop yelling so loud," Bankou sighed in annoyance. Akira pouted again as she made a grunt of frustration.

"Let's just head there... we took long enough to get here. Let's not waste any more time," Gaara said.

"It would also be wise to save as much energy as possible... we don't know what we'll face here. We should simply walk to the building," Baki added. The group nodded as they entered the damned village.

The atmosphere was absolutely creepy as they traveled to the Administration Building. The village was literally dead... damaged buildings, nothing in sight. Several moans could be heard in the distance, indicating that _something_ was still out there, but it was simply unnerving to see the most prosperous ninja village reduced to this.

"It stinks of death here..." Temari said, slightly in disgust as she closed her nose with her thumb and index finger.

"There are several corpses strewn about... and they look like they've mostly been eaten..." Matsuri said, her voice quivering in fear.

"Where are the monsters?" Kankuro asked to nobody in particular, "Is that them we hear in the distance?"

"Regardless, we don't want them hearing us... so be quiet," Bankou said in a harsh whisper as they arrived at the doors of the Administration Building. There were two large boarded up holes in the wall, and there was dried blood on the ground in front of the doors and on the doors themselves. There were also more corpses around this area. What had happened here?

Gaara walked up to the doors and tried opening them. They didn't budge.

"They must be barricaded," he mumbled to himself as he made three hefty knocks upon the door. There was a period of silence as no sounds were heard other than the moans in the distance and the breaths of the nine. Gaara made the same three knocks once more.

"Who is this?" a man asked.

"The Sunagakure reinforcements," Gaara said back.

"Oh... that's great news!" the man said with relief to his voice, "On the right side of the building, there's a secret entrance. A section of the wall can be pushed in and slid aside, revealing a door. I'll be in there to greet you."

The group quietly moved over to the right side of the building. Gaara felt among the walls and felt a slight depression on one of the section. He pressed on it, and it went inwards. Smiling lightly, Gaara slid the tile aside to reveal a door, which he opened. Jiraiya was standing in the room with a purposely-exaggerated smile plastered across his face.

"Jiraiya! Long time no see!" Bankou greeted as he walked in and gave a high five to Jiraiya.

"Good to see you, Bankou! What has it been... twenty years?" Jiraiya said. He then cleared his throat, "Anyways, we have more pressing matters to attend to. There isn't much of a real meeting room since we haphazardly barricaded this place, so we'll use the lobby."

The group left the room and entered the lobby. They sat down on various sofas scattered throughout the room.

"Jiraiya... where is the Hokage?" Baki asked.

Jiraiya's face saddened as the question was asked. He sighed remorsefully and muttered, "She's dead."

The Suna ninja gasped.

"H-how?" Bankou asked, shocked.

"How about I start from the beginning..." Jiraiya said, his saddened voice replaced by a hardened, serious one. He closed his eyes as he began mentally summarizing what had happened. He opened them, and spoke.

"It all started two days ago. Two Akatsuki members infiltrated Konoha in the dead of night: a man and a woman. The woman used some jutsu that caused these horrible creatures to form. Naruto said he went to alert Sakura as soon as he awoke and fended off a zombie, but the Akatsuki man knocked him out, saying that he 'can't alert the town.' The zombies spread across Konoha and Tsunade had to go into hiding, but Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi found her. Kakashi was killed soon upon writing the letter you received," Jiraiya explained. There were no questions from the Suna people yet. Jiraiya continued.

"I only arrived at the village upon feeling a sudden chill. As I headed there, a cloaked man warned me not to go. I ignored him and continued. I would arrive near the end of the day. By that time, most of the village was overrun with the zombies and the only survivors where holed up in this building, awaiting your reinforcement. I learned that these two Akatsuki members had gone rogue and were carrying out their own operation. The two people were Kenokami and Reiko. Kenokami is a man with amazing resilience and regeneration abilities. He has several swords and he is the jinchuuriki of the Five-Tailed Wolf..." Jiraiya said.

"A... jinchuuriki?" Gaara asked, slightly worried.

"The Five-Tailed Wolf... he is from Getsugakure?" Bankou asked, "Why would they seal the Wolf? Unlike most of the bijuu, the Five-Tails was very peaceful."

"He is indeed from the Moon Village, but I have no idea why they would seal away the Five-Tails," Jiraiya said, "Anyways, the woman who caused the jutsu is skilled in several traps and sneaky jutsus, and her name is Reiko... Uchiha."

"Another Uchiha!?" Temari asked in shock, "But-"

"They were all wiped out by Itachi? Apparently, she was taken from the clan at a young age and raised by her older 'brother,' Madara," Jiraiya said. The entire room fell silent. Most of Madara's tale of hatred and envy was kept secret from most of Konoha, but it was fair game to all of the other countries.

Akira grit her teeth as she spoke up, "I can't _wait_ to kick her ass! I've always wanted to fight an Uchiha!"

"Hold your tongue, Akira," Qian Fu spoke. Akira grumbled and slouched in her seat.

"Reiko... she may have avoided the massacre of her clan, but... she was the only survivor of the massacre in Taiyogakure," Jiraiya said grimly as he looked at Bankou, whose eyes were wide in shock. The rest of the Suna-nin looked confused, but it was understandable. Only the elite of every village knew the truth behind Taiyogakure's downfall.

"I... can't imagine how that effected her mind..." Bankou said as he shook his head as if to shake images off of it. He breathed deeply and regained his normal look.

"So... these two are like what Gaara used to be, then?" Baki asked. Gaara looked down to the floor with a small frown.

"It sounds that way..." Gaara said, "I know not what the woman went through, but if they broke off from Akatsuki, and that man was a jinchuuriki... they both wanted to spread their hate across the world."

"That seems to be the general consensus of the people who thought them," Jiraiya said.

"So... what happened out there?" Yoichiro asked, "You said the village was overrun, but we saw no zombies... and certainly one of the Sannin such as yourself could go toe to toe with these two."

"Well, that's another story..." Jiraiya sighed, "Those two started it, but they're not the threats anymore. Another rogue Akatsuki member with different goals is also still out there, and he's much stronger than the two. His name is Otoshi, and he uses several powerful shadow techniques. He is an excellent swordsman, and he apparently cannot die. He also has a powerful doujutsu that allows him to control anybody who looks at them..." The Suna-nin all gained grim looks on their face.

Akira hopped up out of her chair, "THAT GUY SOUNDS LIKE HE'LL PISS ME OFF! I WANNA BEAT HIM DOWN!" she shouted. Glares from all of the other Suna-nin caused her to look around and slowly sit back down. She grumbled grudgingly some more.

"...And Madara decided to pay us a visit," Jiraiya said seriously, "by resurrecting three fallen Akatsuki members. They're dead now. All four of them."

The Suna-nin looked relived that Madara the fearsome tyrant was now finally dead after his iron shadow had been cast upon the world for over half a century. The man was like a terrifying hawk perched above the world, waiting to strike.

"We also heard explosions at points during yesterday. We assume that some of the Akatsuki came to track down the three rogue members and got tangled up in this mess. Also, with many of our finest ninja trying to rescue other people two days ago, it's explainable why so many zombies are now gone. But our main threat right now is Otoshi... he wants something to do with this village, and I want to find out what it is," Jiraiya finished.

"That's a dumbass thought," Bankou retorted, "we can find out what he wanted later. We should get you guys out of here and evacuate to Sunagakure. It's a damn shame that so many people died here... a damn shame..." Bankou closed his eyes and shook his head.

"We can wait until the others have awoken. We're not in a rush... if Otoshi suddenly ceased attacking us yesterday, I'm sure he won't today," Jiraiya said.

"How many... how many people are left?" Gaara asked quietly. Jiraiya sighed deeply as he closed his eyes, stood up, and paced around.

"Naruto, Sakura, Kiba and Akamaru, Yamato, Sai, Hinata, Shikamaru, Guy, Lee, Genma, and Ibiki," he said, "are the only people in this village, besides me, Sasuke and three others, that are still alive."

The entire room was dead silent at this point as this information sunk in. The mightiest ninja village of the modern days, with the most people, had been reduced to this. Everybody else in the entire village was either dead or an inhuman monster by now. The sheer amount of death caused was dumbfounding. And it had been caused by just one jutsu, too!

"I have more to tell," Jiraiya said lowly as he sat back down, "but we'll wait until the others are awake. Feel free to make yourself comfortable."

* * *

The wind blew, causing his hair and cloak to flutter in its breezes. He looked down at the cloak... it had been torn by that sword used by that accursed toad sage. The exposed area of his chest was gray and decaying where the blade had stabbed him, but he had little choice. He had to have used that technique... he couldn't afford to die there.

He stood atop the tallest tower in Konoha and looked down upon the ruined village. He saw that most of the central parts of Konoha were zombie-free, but he saw large crowds of the undead in the western and eastern sides. He grinned maliciously as his sharingan eyes shone brightly.

"I will show you my retribution, Jiraiya..." Madara muttered to himself as he extended an arm outwards, "...with my superior necromatic power, I will seize the reigns of this undead army and command them to storm your precious Administration Building..."

He formed a tight fist with his extended arm and chuckled deviously as he focused with his mind, locating the general chakra source of the two separate hordes. Once he found them, he slowly probed at them, manipulating them to his will. As the hordes _slowly_ moved towards the building, he laughed madly. The wait would be agonizing as he watched his army approach his hated enemies at a snail's pace. The wait would kill him on the inside as the tendrils of rage ripped him apart. But it would all be worth it when they would all die! Every last one of them!


	26. Chapter 26: Eye of the Storm

The Necromancer, Chapter 26:

A woman shouting from the lobby awoke Naruto from his moment of blissful peace. He was a bit confused by this, so he decided to investigate. He stood up, stretched a bit, and walked out of the door. He soon arrived in the lobby and was surprised to see Gaara and some other Sunagakure ninja there!

"Mornin', Naruto," Jiraiya warmly greeted, "our reinforcements have arrived."

Naruto blinked a few times before rubbing his eyes to make sure he was seeing what was happening.

"This is _great_ news!" he exclaimed sleepily and cheerfully. He gazed across the room and recognized the familiar faces of the Sand Siblings, but he couldn't identify a few people. His face fell upon a girl with catlike eyes whose mouth was agape in awe. Naruto blinked, and the girl was in front of him. He yelped in shock as he leapt back a bit.

"You're _cuuuuuuu~te!_" Akira said as she leaned closer to Naruto, who was terrified of this odd woman.

"Umm... I... have to... yeah! Go away!" Naruto said as he began running off, "Talk to you guys later!" he added as Akira began chasing him.

"You can't run from meeee, Naru-baby!" Akira called out.

The people in the lobby sweatdropped as this unusual and sort of creepy event unfolded. Jiraiya sighed and chuckled a bit.

"Just give this place a few minutes. I bet everyone will be up soon," he said, Naruto's screams at Akira heard echoing throughout the building. Sure enough, more people began entering the lobby asking what the commotion was. They were all surprised and uplifted by the presence of the Sunagakure ninja in the lobby. They all were eager to speak to them, but Jiraiya made them wait. Once enough people were in the room, Jiraiya cleared his throat.

"Okay, I know you're all eager to see each other and whatnot," he said, "So I'll let you. It's far too early to get down to business right now, so have some fun! I'll call everyone into the lobby later."

People began moving about after this announcement, save for Shikamaru. He had hung back in one of the hallways leading to the lobby, listening to everything half-heartedly. His face was glum and too focused on inward pain. He looked up and his eyes met Temari's. They stared at each other for a bit, Shikamaru seeing Temari get worried as she gazed upon him. Shikamaru said nothing as he turned around and walked away. He entered his nearby room and sat down on his bed, staring at the ground. He still felt horrible over what had happened yesterday... he had failed Asuma's promise! It was the man's wish to have his wife raise his child, and he was a miserable failure at that. And that horrible demon of a man... what he did to Kurenai was just... just...

He gagged a bit as his mind showed him a blurred snapshot of her desecrated corpse. He quickly shoved away the image and began to cry. He heard the door quietly open.

"Shikamaru, what's wrong?" Temari asked solemnly as she closed the door and sat down next to Shikamaru, "What happened?"

Shikamaru said nothing as he continued to stare at the ground.

"Come now," Temari said as she wiped the tears from Shikamaru's motionless face, "you can tell me."

Shikamaru took a deep breath. She was right... he felt sort of serene when Temari was around. Their relationship certainly had blossomed since their fight in the chunin exams three years ago. Plus, he had to get this weight off his chest, and who better to help him than the woman that cared for him?

Well, it was time to sum up things. He exhaled and began to spoke, "You've heard that Asuma died, right?" Temari nodded sadly and Shikamaru continued, "Well... he left behind someone incredibly dear to him. He had a wife who held his unborn son... he entrusted me to protect her and her son..."

Shikamaru began crying again, "I failed," he bluntly said, "She was horribly, horribly slaughtered and raped by a demon of a man." He clasped his hands to his face and began to sob loudly, "I failed Asuma! I'm pathetic! There's nothing left for me! I failed my sensei, I failed his wife, I failed his son, I failed my parents, and I failed my best friend! I f-"

Shikamaru was silenced by a slap across the face from Temari. She leaned down and grabbed his face and made him look at hers. Her eyes were teary as she said, "Do you think you're the only one who feels this way? Sure, my sorrowful pain was in the past, but the past never goes away! My father's doing killed my mother, and Orochimaru assassinated him! And my brother... Gaara... you saw how he used to be! Plus, think of everyone else out there in the lobby! I can't imagine what emotions they've buried to see their _entire village_ become... become... _this!_"

Shikamaru blinked as he suddenly recalled him yelling at Naruto when Iruka had died. He was acting just like Naruto had... Temari was right in every way. He couldn't let this consume him. Yes, he had failed a very important promise, but right now, he was needed as one of the few survivors of this horrible event. He needed to be strong, so he could help everyone else. He wiped the tears from his eyes and the tears from Temari's eyes before embracing her.

"Thank you... you've made me realize what needs to be done..." he said softly. Temari hugged him back.

* * *

Sakura had been a bit down yesterday, and it hadn't been cured today. It wasn't the zombies, for she adapted to them a long time ago, even though everything only began two days ago. It was the fact that she had grown a crush on Naruto, and Hinata had taken him away. She was also worried that Sasuke still viewed her as annoying. Sakura saw Hinata, and she decided to speak with her.

Hinata looked down as Sakura approached her. She was acting shy as usual.

"We need to talk, Hinata," Sakura said calmly. Hinata pressed her two fingers together as she muttered under her breath in worry. Sakura took her arm and drug her into a nearby room.

"W-what's wrong, Sakura?" Hinata asked.

"Well... I didn't mean to be forceful back there, but... something's bothering me," Sakura said as her face became saddened. She leaned slightly to the right as she sighed and continued, "it's the fact that you're with Naruto."

Hinata suddenly shot a fierce glare at Sakura, "NO!!! YOU'RE NOT TAKING HIM AWAY!" she shouted indignantly, her voice wavering. Sakura was in shock at Hinata's unexpected outburst. Hinata didn't cease either.

"MY ENTIRE LIFE HAS BEEN HELL! I RECEIVED SHIT NO MATTER WHAT I DID OR HOW HARD I TRIED! I WAS A MISERABLE FAILURE, AND NARUTO IS THE ONLY GOOD THING THAT'S HAPPENED TO ME!" she yelled.

"I-" Sakura began, but Hinata interrupted her.

"YOU WANT TO FIGHT ME FOR HIM, BITCH?" she shrieked as she took a defensive stance. Sakura placed a hand to her mouth as she began to cry.

"I... didn't mean to hurt you..." Sakura managed to sound out before she abruptly left the room with a small sob. Hinata sighed and took a deep breath as she sat on the bed in the room. She placed her hands on her chin and slouched forward. Was it really right to say all of those mean things to her...?

Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes as she slammed the door. Naruto wasn't an option for her, and while she felt Hinata's reaction was far too over-the-top, she could tell that the two were made for each other and they were truly happy with each other... she decided to speak with Sasuke.

She looked around the building and saw him talking idly with his three teammates. Sakura took a deep breath and walked forward. A girl with red hair and glasses noticed her and walked over to her.

"Um, who exactly are you?" Karin asked.

"I'm Sakura. I want to speak with Sasuke," she said.

"Sorry, but I don't think so," Karin said, looking Sakura up and down, disgust painted across her face.

"What!?" Sakura said indignantly, "Just move and let me talk to him!"

Karin leaned closer to Sakura, "You want to have him as your own, right? Well, he's for me! You're not taking him!"

Sakura was suddenly reminded of Ino greatly. She bit her lip and stormed away. That woman was _so_ close to having her face punched in.

_**Are you going to take that!?**_Inner Sakura yelled in anger. Sakura sighed and thought to herself, _I can always talk to Sasuke later when that bitch is away from him..._

* * *

Naruto panted as he finally stopped running. That crazy woman had chased him for well over half an hour! She finally gave up, and Naruto couldn't have been more relieved. He slowly walked into the lobby, Sakura stomping past him, as he looked for Sasuke. He needed to talk to him.

He saw Sasuke sitting on a couch next to those three people that came with him. Naruto walked up to Sasuke as the three watched him.

_He's cute, but not as cute as Sasuke..._ Karin thought as she eyed Naruto.

"Sasuke, we need to talk," Naruto said sternly.

"Ah, Naruto... it's certainly been a while, hasn't it?" Sasuke asked calmly.

"Why the hell did you do that the last time we met? What's the big idea?! Come back to the village!" Naruto said indignantly.

Sasuke crossed his fingers and rested his hands on his chin as he stared darkly at Naruto, "Why can't you get it through your thick skull that I'm not coming back?" he asked, "Why do you even care that I come back?"

Naruto grit his teeth and balled his hand into a tight fist, "You're our friend, Sasuke! You were born in this village, and you're supposed to protect it!"

"Don't even get started on that. I barely care for this village at all. All I care about is wiping my brother off the face of the world and rebuilding the Uchiha clan. Nothing else matters to me," Sasuke stated.

"You're being stubborn, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.

"And you aren't?" Sasuke retorted.

"You're _not_ the only Uchiha left!" Naruto exclaimed with a hint of anger.

"Oh, now you somehow know about my clan, huh? Stop speaking bullshit!" Sasuke shouted back. The rest of the room was starting to quiet as the argument became louder and louder. Karin sighed and turned away, and Suigetsu watched the argument with slight interest. Jugo looked towards the ground with a blank look on his face.

"But it's true! Ask anyone here! The person that started this mess is Reiko Uchiha, and she learned her jutsu from Madara Uchiha!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as Naruto said that last name. Madara Uchiha had been a sort of fallen hero of the Uchihas, but his father idolized him... perhaps because he was the son of Madara and Aimi, the famed Uchiha queen. But the fact that Madara had a successor that was _alive..._ Sasuke was still in disbelief that another Uchiha lived, but as he scanned the faces in the room all looking at him, he knew that none of them could sincerely tell him that Naruto was lying.

"But... how?" Sasuke asked.

"She was taken from the clan by Madara at a young age," said Sakura, who walked up to the two, "she is responsible for everything that's happened here."

"Hey!" Karin exclaimed as she stood up, "I thought I told you to-" she didn't get to finish her sentence because Sakura's fist was promptly shoved in her face, sending her flying back into the wall. Suigetsu chuckled slightly as Karin shakily stood up. She was clutching her face, and her eyes were teary. She quickly ran off, and nobody seemed to care.

"Well," Sasuke said, his face returning to his normal cold look, "then that makes another potential enemy, but also a potential ally."

"You'd consider her an _ally_ after... _this!?_" Naruto yelled, throwing his arms towards the barricaded doors of the room.

"I thought I just told you I hold no ties to this village anymore... why can't you understand that? I'm already considered a missing-nin... they're not going to welcome me back with open arms. And since they won't do that on my quest for vengeance, then I'm forced to abandon them," Sasuke said. Sakura bit her lip as her face saddened. She didn't want to hear that news... if Sasuke liked her, would she have to leave the village, too?

"BUT SASUKE! WE'RE! FRIIEENNDSS!!!" Naruto screamed.

"Only because we were on the same team and we worked together. I've moved on, Naruto... accept the fact that you're not getting me back," Sasuke said coldly. His eyes shifted towards Sakura, "that goes for you as well."

Sakura gasped as she took a step back. She felt an immense throbbing pain in her chest. With those words, all possible hope for love were ripped from her chest and violently shredded to ribbons. She began to cry as she ran off elsewhere. Naruto watched this with immense anger.

"Okay, you can piss me off... deny my attempts to bring me back..." he said quietly and furiously, "...but the moment you crushed her heart is when you CROSSED THE FUCKING LINE!!!"

Naruto roared in rage as he impulsively formed a rasengan and thrust it as Sasuke. Before Jugo could rush in to defend Sasuke there was a deafening boom as the couch was utterly destroyed by the attack. But where was Sasuke? Naruto was soon pulled back into a restraint, the blade of a large sword at his throat.

"Feeling lucky, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, sounding a bit manic. Naruto was in shock that Sasuke had somehow dodged that.

"Hey, hey, HEY! CUT IT OUT!" Bankou yelled as they suddenly began to sink into the ground until only their heads were visible. They were pulled apart by the powerful sand-nin's jutsu, "I don't give a damn about your differences, but right now, we're all supposed to work together here! I'll let you two sit there as you realize that..."

Naruto and Sasuke hmphed as they looked away from each other. This sure would take a while for that realization to arrive, if it ever could anymore...

* * *

"Ah, Gaara! It is good to see you again!" Lee greeted Gaara as he walked up to the rooftop, where Gaara watched the village. Why Lee was heading to the rooftop in the first place was unknown. Gaara said nothing as he continued to stare into the desolate village, "It certainly has been some time since we have seen each other. I still cannot thank you enough for saving me from that bone man back then."

Gaara mumbled something unintelligible. Lee blinked a few times, and continued.

"I am now recalling our fight in the chunin exams. Do you remember? It was three years ago, and I had been the first one to break your shield of sand! That was such an invigorating fight!

Gaara said nothing as Lee continued to stand there.

_Just come out and say you want to fight me..._ Gaara thought.

"Well, just checking in on you! I must be going elsewhere!" Lee exclaimed as he waved goodbye and headed back into the building. Gaara sighed in relief that the slightly annoying man had left. He continued staring into the village. What the most prosperous and powerful ninja nation had been reduced to... it was depressing, but Gaara found some beauty in the whole thing...

* * *

Genma was staring out a window up on the second floor. He really didn't like crowds that much, so he had to escape the massive group of people down on the first floor. He heard footsteps behind him. Slightly intrigued, he turned his head to see Ibiki walking up to him.

"So... what do you want, Ibiki? Obviously you'd have to be seeking me out to approach me," Genma said, chewing on the toothpick in his mouth.

"You couldn't be more correct on that assumption, Genma," Ibiki said back, "I was just curious... to what happened to you when this horror began. We didn't meet up right away, after all."

Genma frowned a bit, "Well, I'd prefer it if we sat down somewhere first."

Ibiki nodded as the two entered a nearby room and sat on two chairs. Genma looked up at the ceiling as the toothpick swirled around from him chewing and sucking on it so much.

"Well... let's see..." Genma said as he tried to remember, "Oh yeah... Anko and I were strolling around town early morning."

"I see you've taken a fancy to her?" Ibiki asked with a small smile. Genma blushed and nodded.

"Yeah... and I decided to show her how peaceful the village was before dawn. She's really a calm and nice woman when she's not around other people, you know," Genma said.

"I never would have guessed. That woman's a wild one," Ibiki said, his small smile widening.

Genma sadly smiled, "Yeah... she sure was great." Ibiki frowned as he heard the past tense _was_. Of course, it was obvious she was dead, but he had a prediction that the morning had not gone well for Genma at all. Genma continued, "See, I remembered Raidou wanted to tell me something the day before, but I couldn't find him. I recalled that he had gate duty, so I decided to... well... bring Anko along. Bragging rights and all..."

Genma sighed sadly, "I was the first witness of the zombies. Even before Naruto. It all started at the gates of town... it was a blur, but Anko was bleeding so much... she was bitten, and I rushed to the Hokage, because she'd be the first medic to pop into your head. I body flickered as fast as I could, but... she didn't make it... she died and reanimated in my arms when I was so close to this building... I dropped her and fled. I didn't know what was going on, I was so frightened..." he bowed his head in sorrow.

"...So that explains why you and Anko weren't there that day for the meeting to discuss the next Chunin Exams," Ibiki grimly stated, "I'm so sorry for your loss, but I understand apologies can only do so much. You did seem to collect yourself when I found you, however."

Genma raised his head slightly, "Yeah, I suppose I did. So... enough of my day, how about yours?"

Ibiki shifted the position in his chair slightly, "Well... as I explained, I was at the meeting for planning the Chunin Exams. The zombies attacked the building. Several of the fellow proctors fell there, only to rise back up. I was lucky that my coat was so durable, or else I'd be a mindless corpse. After I escaped and saw the state of the village, I knew I had to search for any survivors... These past two days are dark days indeed."

"Even when we're evacuated to Sunagakure... I'll never be the same, you know? I can't simply just shrug off the thirty-four years of my life that I lived here, along with the thousands of people I've met," Genma sighed.

"Same here, man," Ibiki said, "Heh, I also forgot you were older than me. Wouldn't be able to tell, would you?"

Genma grinned, "Nope. I was just more careful to keep my pretty face unscarred." Ibiki smiled back and sighed heavily.

"Man, I would kill for some alcohol right now... stressful times always call for some," he said. Genma nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Ibiki..." Genma said, "...talking to you has removed a lot from my chest. However, I also feel horrible for indirectly causing Kakashi's death... he was a good man, and an excellent shinobi... just like his father. I don't care if Sakumo slipped up, he was a great man."

"While I disagree with you on Sakumo, however, I still respect the man, there wasn't much you could do. You had no idea what was going on, and I'll be damned if anyone had the balls at the beginning of the outbreak to kill their loved one. What's done is done... so many people are dead, and there isn't much we can do now except look forward. It'll take us many years... but we'll adjust to our new lives at Sunagakure. I just know it," Ibiki said.

"I hope you're right..." Genma said quietly.

* * *

"GUY-SENSEEEEIIIII!!!" Lee called out as he ran to his sensei that was pacing back and forth through a hallway.

"What is it, Lee?" Guy asked, slightly concerned.

"I am stricken with the... autumn sorrow!" Lee exclaimed, terrified. Guy's eyes widened in terror.

"NOOO!!! YOU MUST ALWAYS HAVE THE YOUTH OF A NEW SPRING!" he cried out in horror.

"But everyone else has died!" Lee said.

"No, Lee! From the ashes, something must always rise! Even though the leaves fall and the trees lose their leaves, a spring of youth always comes to bring them all back! You see, Lee? Although we are in this dreadful winter, it will give way to the springtime of youth!" Guy explained, teary eyed at his passionate speech.

Lee's eyes were equally teary as he said, "Yes, Guy-sensei! I understand!"

Their conversation was brief, but if not for the message by Jiraiya; it would have been drug out to pointless banter.

**"Everyone... it's time to go to the lobby. I have several things I want to tell you all,"** Jiraiya's chakra-boosted voice boomed as it echoed throughout the building.

* * *

Jiraiya had idly chatted with Bankou mainly about how Bankou had been since the last time they saw each other. Jiraiya told him about some experiences outside of Konohagakure, but it was pointless to say what happened in the village, for that was obvious. As he delivered his message through the building, people came into the building, usually in pairs or threes, he noticed.

_That's good... people cheering each other up..._ he thought. Eventually the seats were filled, but a few people had to sit on the ground due to the couch Naruto destroyed. Naruto and Sasuke were still mostly buried in the floor, facing away from each other, but they now slightly turned their heads to look at Jiraiya and not see each other. They would remain this way until they apologized to each other.

"I've gathered you all here to tell you many things... mainly, the events deep into the past that blossomed into this very event right here," Jiraiya said, "And it all begins with Madara Uchiha and the war of the clans before Konoha was established."

He paused for a moment, and seeing that there were no questions, he continued. "Madara... wasn't always the power-hungry bloodthirsty man. He was actually a very kind and honorable man who treated his brother and wife with great respect. Madara gained the Mangekyo Sharingan with his frequent spars with his brother, Izuna, for the position of top of the Uchiha Clan. However, Madara was foolish to abuse his newly gained power against the clans. Well, it was sort of foolish. While they easily defeated several clans, including the Hyuga, Madara's eyes began to be claimed by blindness."

"Why... does the Mangekyo do that?" Sasuke asked.

"It all began with the first Uchiha, Adra Hyuga… the original demon of the world. That's another long tale, but he basically used the chakra he gained from the Kyuubi to make the Sharingan and all of these other rules. He is a sick and twisted man, Sasuke. He made it to where you have to kill your best friend or compete with your sibling to gain the Mangekyo, which would lead you to blindness unless you took the eyes of your sibling. Notice that every Uchiha with a Sharingan has had a sibling?" Jiraiya explained. Sasuke was silent as he thought about these new facts presented to him, and Jiraiya continued.

"Anyways, Madara took the eyes of his brother in a spurt of madness to restore his eyesight. He was horrified at what he had done, and he repressed the memories and made a false cover-up story as to how Izuna had died. As most of you know, the Uchiha and Senju clan alliance is what began this village. However, the Hyuga clan is often overlooked over these two clans in the history of the village's formation. Madara had a good friend... Hizuko Hyuga. The heads of each clan were asked to run for the eventual Hokage position, which would be decided by a series of elections by the people."

"Madara and Hashirama were the final two to run for Hokage. Hizuko had become enraged when he lost and took it out on Madara for some reason. Apparently the two had promised to vote for each other no matter what. Hizuko was the tiebreaker of the votes between the two, and he picked Hashirama. Madara's suppressed evil actions and thoughts resurfaced as he killed Hizuko in vengeance and fled the village. Now, the events that followed were lengthy, but I'll sum them up. These were covered up by Konoha's elders, but I feel you all have the right to know this..."

"The Kyuubi didn't just attack once, but twice. One time it was under control by Madara, and the second time it was convinced by a disguised Madara to attack the village. Well, the second attack's origins aren't confirmed, but it's a logical assumption. Inbetween these two events were... zombies. They're not new or anything. Madara assaulted Konoha with them before. It was a grave mistake for the elders to cover that up... if more people knew about the zombies, the village would definitely be standing right now..."

There were still no comments. Understandable, considering all of the information they were absorbing. He took a deep breath and continued once more.

"Now, for what Madara did after leaving this country, assumed dead by Hashirama's brother, Tobirama at the Valley of the End, where Hashirama fell to Madara. Madara was already developing forbidden jutsu dealing with death, the undead, and the souls of people... sick, twisted stuff. He heard of another ninja village in construction on an island... what would eventually become the Mist Village."

"Wait... Madara... was the first Mizukage?" Shikamaru asked.

"Correct. That certainly explains their violent methods, doesn't it?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto remembered Kakashi explaining the Mist's methods of graduating... how they had to kill all of their classmates... Naruto became enraged at Madara for making such a horrible rule!

Jiraiya continued, "Well, Madara made the Mist declare war on the Leaf. Now, the First Great Shinobi War was fought over control of the bijuu... Madara declaring war against the Leaf eventually became the Second Great Shinobi War as other developing nations began taking sides with either the Leaf or the Mist. Once there was news that the Second Hokage was directly taking a large number of troops to the Mist, Madara fled like a coward in fear of is discovery. In his place, he planted a relatively strong man that had been brainwashed by his ideals... the Second Mizukage. Madara never again went to the Mist."

"Now, I don't know if any of you know of this, including the ninja from Sunagakure, but Konoha wasn't always the strongest and most populous ninja nation. That title belonged to the Light Country, an island north of the Water Country. It had a massive ninja village located in its wealthy port city... Taiyogakure, the Village Hidden beneath the Sun. It was one of the Five Great Nations before its downfall... the Hikarikage, Teruo Hideshi... what a powerful man. He could use jutsus involving light, and like the First Hokage's control of wood, he could control plasma."

"But enough of that. Madara came to the Sun Village. Nobody could recognize him, for he was already using the souls of innocents to retain his life and youthful appearance. Madara rose to a powerful jonin as he operated in secret. He... assassinated the Hikarikage and offered to protect the village, showing them his skill. Madara became the second Hikarikage. He protected the village, but he secretly continued his experiments."

"Now, Twenty-five years ago, he somehow snuck into Konoha and kidnapped Reiko. I know this simply because twenty-five years ago the Uchiha clan filed a report of a missing child. Reiko was trained by Madara, and according to her claims, she was shown Madara's experiments twenty years ago and refused to accept him as her 'brother' anymore. She saw Madara use the zombie jutsu and her sharingan recorded it. The zombie jutsu spread across the most powerful ninja nation..."

Jiraiya paused as he wiped a tear from his eye, "That day was one of the most terrifying days I've ever experienced. An emergency signal was sent to all ninja nations... the Day of the Bloodied Sun... I'll never forget it. Nobody _could_ ever forget it. However, this was the most covered up event in history, which explains why next to none of the ninja in the world know of the Sun Village. All of the strongest ninja from every nation were sent to help. It was a collection of demigods. The Third and Fourth Hokage, Third Kazekage, Second Mizukage, Third Tsuchikage, and Second Raikage were there; along with the Sannin, the Legendary Sand Siblings, the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, the Legendary Brothers of the Rock, the Sen-Long clan of the Cloud, the Invincible Hanzou of the Rain, Zymdia of the Grass, the Getsuken Four from the Moon, and the strongest jonin from every village... all of the nations were allied that day."

Naruto had newfound respect for Old Man Sarutobi, the Fourth Hokage, and Granny Tsunade for going through something like the current state the village was in, but much, much worse. Even Zabuza was more respected, but Naruto soon recognized the age inconsistency... obviously Zabuza was a newer Seven Mist Swordsman.

Bankou then spoke up, "I was there that day as well. We were all frightened at the massive influx of undead subhumans. The strongest medics in the world tried to cure them... Tsunade and Lady Chiyo were the prominent and most powerful medics. They could do nothing to remove this curse from the people; no matter how hard they tried. We had no choice but to eliminate all of the zombies. That day was a horrible and long day..."

"W-wait..." Sakura said, her voice shaky from picturing this abominable event, "Even Lady Chiyo couldn't heal them? But... she was an amazing medic! Even more so than Tsunade!"

Bankou shook his head, "Their two minds combined could do nothing."

"Wait... just how big was this Sun Village, anyways?" Kiba asked.

Jiraiya closed his eyes and mumbled something under his breath. He sighed heavily and opened his eyes, "If you put Konohagakure and Sunagakure together, you'd have about ten percent of the size and people of the Sun Village."

There was a moment of silence and awe at such a mighty village, but it was also an awe of shock. How many zombies were there that day...?

"Now... remember, Reiko lived through this day. A mere child not acquainted with the terrors of war," Bankou said, "We can only assume she lived because Madara made the zombies spare her, but... for God's sakes... how that could have affected her mind..."

More silence ensued as everyone pictured seeing his or her entire village as the unholy undead and _living_ through it.

"Now, I'm going to tell you something very important... we might actually not have to live with everything we know destroyed," Jiraiya said, "Madara has a massive storage of souls and chakra inside an amulet he carries with him. Theoretically, we could take the amulet and have someone tap into his power..."

Looks of joy and relief spread across everyone's faces.

"We could resurrect the entire village with his amulet?" Shikamaru asked in awe.

"Theoretically, yes. However, I didn't take the amulet because even I know little of what it has within it. For all we know, it could be a trap for Madara to take over a new host when he dies. That's why I didn't take it earlier. However, from reports of several different ninja... that amulet definitely contains massive power and the knowledge to use it," Jiraiya explained.

Moods were now lifted at this great news. Shikamaru, however, was wondering how it could possibly work. Souls were, as he interpreted it, what makes you unique and not just another person. Personality, thoughts, preferences, free will, life force, and many other things were what souls held. How could a small amulet hold the (no doubt about it) _thousands_ of souls Madara has collected? And what about mutilated zombies? Would they be restored to their normal selves? Most importantly, how did Madara even _think_ of such things, let alone miraculously execute them? Madara was certainly a dark genius like Orochimaru...

* * *

Reiko and Kenokami had finished their lovemaking.

"Are you ready, my love?" Kenokami asked Reiko, who meekly nodded. They got dressed and Kenokami grabbed Garm with his remaining arm.

"Ugh... I'm going to have to get used to having only one arm..." Kenokami complained as he made a few practice swings of the huge sword.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I can fix that up after everything's over," Reiko said.

"I hope so..." Kenokami said.

The two exited their building and saw Otoshi, who silently led them to a relatively clear area outside the town. Otoshi then turned around and unsheathed Masamune and took a stance. Kenokami took a stance as well as he grit his teeth, and Reiko reached into her cloak and pulled out an odd-looking device...

* * *

As people discussed things after the lesson about Madara, his amulet, and the Day of the Bloodied Sun. Everything was interrupted when there were numerous loud thuds outside of the building. Jiraiya paled as he ran over to a window and peered outside. His skin became white as a ghost as he turned away from the window.

"I don't know how to say this, but..." Jiraiya said meekly as he stepped away from the door, the others nearby wisely following his actions, "...prepare for combat."

Bankou quickly released Naruto and Sasuke from the floor. They stretched, for their limbs were cramped. They had no time to resume their arguing, for the situation looked dire. The barricades they had put up on the door and the wall section that Kakuzu destroyed were creaking and beginning to give. What the hell was out there...?

An arm gray with decay burst through the window that Jiraiya had looked out of, more arms following it. The curtain fell from the window, revealing a horrifying sight:

Thousands of zombies could be seen outside of the window... the remainder of the zombie population of Konohagakure was attacking them!


	27. Chapter 27: Requiem

The Necromancer, Chapter 27:

"FUCK!" Baki yelled over the chorus of the unholy moans, "WHAT THE FUCK DO WE DO!?!"

Panic was starting to build as the windows were stuffed with decaying arms of the undead, all of the arms grasping for them. The barricades were starting to splinter as the thunderous slams of the relentless hands of the zombies overwhelmed the wooden boards.

"Remain calm!" Qian Fu boldly stated as he walked in front of everyone else. Although he was brave on the outside, he was all but that on the inside. He feared for the lives of everyone in this room, but _someone_ had to act! He made some hand seals and the earth beneath them began to rumble.

"Everyone! This is our only choice! We must fight for survival!" Qian Fu shouted over the chaotic cacophony. A large dragon made of dirt and stone burst from the ground and slammed through the barricades, shattering them on impact. All of the zombies in the way were thrown back by the immense force of the earthen dragon head, which exploded with chakra. A stone wall rose in front of all of the survivors to take any shrapnel from the exploding dragon head, and it, too, was then thrown at the zombies, knocking back all of the ones in front of the building along with completely demolishing half of the lobby.

Everyone was taken aback at what the open view of the outside world showed him or her. Thousands upon thousands of the undead were surrounding the building. All of them were former villagers of Konoha. Proud and noble jonin, chunin, and genin that served their village; civilian men who worked hard to make their families happy; women who raised families; other men and women that had so much to accomplish and so much to look forward to; and children who had their entire lives ahead of them... all of them were gripped by this unholy plague which had changed them into horrible monsters. It had whitened their eyes, grayed their skin, and bloodied their hands and mouths. It had stripped away all signs of humanity in their actions... it was an act of hell brought upon thousands of innocents. And it was even more of a hell to those fighting against joining this legion of the damned.

"Everyone! Be careful, but overall... ATTACK!" Jiraiya yelled as he pointed towards the zombie horde. Several people charged forward while some stayed back, since they wouldn't be that useful in attacking such a large army. Qian Fu walked back into the building, looking at the few that stayed behind: Sakura, Shikamaru, Ibiki, Karin, and Hinata. Sakura and Karin were glaring at each other, and Hinata was worriedly looking at the battle ahead of them. Ibiki and Shikamaru were observing the outlook of the battle.

"So, Qian Fu, was it? Why aren't you fighting?" Ibiki asked.

"Oh, believe me, I will... I just need to recuperate. You have _no_ idea how much those two jutsus took out of me," he said.

On the offensive side of the attack, Kiba had charged ahead of everyone else and used Fang over Fang. Kiba and Akamaru were whirling around, drilling through several zombies. Gaara and Bankou were standing back to back, and sand was whirling around both of them. Two tendrils of compressed sand slammed into the zombie horde.

"Take over from here, Gaara. I haven't perfected the difficult art of sand chakra yet," Bankou said as he body flickered over to a different part of the clearing and made some hand seals. A large boulder unearthed itself from the ground, and Bankou lifted it and slammed it down on the zombies. Gaara continued to use his limited sand amount to strike down some zombies. It was difficult adjusting to the lack of having Shukaku, for he had to conserve the amounts of sand he used.

Naruto was staying well defended in the middle of the clearing while his shadow clones ran around and stabbed kunais into heads. Sasuke was near Naruto, firing chidori needles at all zombies that closed in on the clearing. Naruto scowled at Sasuke... the two of them worked so well together. Why did he have to be like the way he was?

Genma, Matsuri, and Yoichiro were standing in a triangular formation. Yoichiro was quickfire summoning ninja tools, which Matsuri and Genma would take and throw at the zombies with their exceptional aiming. Yoichiro occasionally summoned several tools, which he would throw with his outstanding aim. The three were quite the team.

Suigetsu was running through the crowd in a half liquid state, cleaving off the heads of zombies he passed by. Jugo was currently in a controlled berserk state, and his cursed seal state of body was shielding Suigetsu with the tendrils blocking and batting away zombies. Jugo used his empowered arms to smash all of the heads that Suigetsu cleaved off, so his anger wouldn't seize his mind and so the zombies would die once and for all.

Kankuro and Temari were close to each other. Kankuro's puppets were speeding around the area and slowly destroying the zombies, while Temari used her fan to blow away any zombies that neared the clearing they had made.

Baki and Akira were next to each other. Baki was using the earth jutsu that made spires of rock erupt from the ground. Akira had pulled out her bow, but she had no arrows.

"What exactly do you plan to do with that?" Baki asked, dumbfounded at the woman.

"What? You haven't heard of the Mishoto Clan?" Akira asked with a sly smile, "Fire and wind chakras are imbedded within us, and we can fuse them to make... Wildfire!"

Upon saying that word, an arrow of flame manifested itself on the bow, which Baki noticed that it was made of steel. Akira drew back the string and let go, the arrow flying right into a zombie's eye, dropping it before the arrow vanished. More arrows of flame were quickly launched, and any that missed were quickly extinguished so the zombies wouldn't light aflame.

Guy and Lee were blitzing around the battlefield and smashing in the heads of zombies at lightning speed due to the powers of the gates. Jiraiya was using a jutsu that fired strands of his hair as sharp senbon needles.

Ibiki had grown tired of waiting and walked in the clearing. He stood next to Sai, who was drawing several animals of ink that were large and would bat away zombies. Ibiki cracked his knuckles as he walked over to the crowd. He began grappling zombies and punching his fists through their heads. Sai noted this, and his ink animals began to protect Ibiki primarily. Yamato was nearby, forming large roots to smash zombies.

_This is it! We have the advantage!_ Naruto thought in joy as he saw everyone working exceptionally well together to gradually wipe out the horde of the undead. However, the tide soon began to turn as he heard Sai call out.

"I'm sorry, everyone!" he yelled over the din, "One of them... they snuck up on me! Don't worry about me! Kill me before I turn!"

Gaara heard this and walked over to him. He nodded and fired a needle of sand into Sai's head. He heard Ibiki yell in pain and looked up.

"Dammit, the bastard got me!" he cursed as he headbutted a man with a strip of flesh hanging from his mouth. Ibiki was clutching his left wrist, which was bleeding. Ibiki reached into his coat and pulled out a kunai. He ran through the crowd, slicing any zombies he could, and when he was far into the crowd, he slammed it deep into his throat, pointing it upwards. Ibiki fell, dead, as the explosive tag he set on himself went off.

Genma heard Ibiki say this, and he was heartbroken.

"Fuck it all! They fucking took my friend! FUCKERS!!!" he yelled in rage as he slapped an explosive tag on himself and, like Ibiki, charged into the crowd of zombies. Nobody could stop him fast enough, and the second explosion rang through everyone's ears, lowering their morale further.

"Dammit, how many of them are there?" Temari asked.

Jiraiya bit his lip. Their stamina kept decreasing and they had already lost three lives, but the huge horde of zombies didn't seem to be thinning out at all! A sharp cry from Matsuri signified that another had been bitten.

"Gaara-sensei!" Matsuri cried out as she ran up to him, her eyes teary, "They... a kid got me! I just... couldn't harm him! Please, don't kill me! I want to be with you, sensei! Please...?"

Gaara looked downwards in pain as he fired a sand needle into Matsuri's head. She fell, her face frozen with shock. Gaara's head shot upward as he yelled in rage and sorrow. He then used eighty percent of the sand inside of his gourd to rain down sand needles among the horde, dropping many of the zombies. Baki growled in rage as he ran forward.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Akira asked as Baki ran by her.

"YOU BASTARDS HAVE TAKEN ENOUGH LIVES!" Baki screamed as he ran into the crowd, his sword of sand forming in his hands. He foolishly began madly swinging the blade, dropping only two of the zombies around him. A woman with short black hair that was approaching Baki received a large gash across her mouth from the sword, giving her a Glasgow smile of sorts. This failed to stop her lunge, and she eagerly sank her teeth into Baki's neck. Baki cried out as the sword of sand faded. More of the undead closed in upon them, and teeth assaulted his arms, legs, chest, and belly. Unimaginable pain was shooting through every nerve receptor in his body as the zombies brutally ate him alive. He screamed and screamed as if emptying his lungs would stop the pain. A few of the zombies had ripped through his flak jacket and they had successfully made a hole in his belly. They pulled out Baki's intestines and began feasting on them in delight. His arms and legs were the next to be severed from his body. Fortunately, Baki's pain had stopped a bit ago, for he had died from the mass amounts of blood loss. More luck shined on Baki's fate after death, for he had lost too much blood for the zombie plague to reanimate him.

All in all, about forty minutes had passed since the zombies first began their assault. The horde seemed to be thinning out a little, but lots of sweat and tears had littered that clearing. Some of the valiant ninja who fought against the zombies were now exhausted. Jiraiya had composed a shift system of sorts. Those feeling invigorated would stay outside and only kill any zombies that got too close to the building (within a fifty foot radius), while the tired survivors would go within the building to eat, rest, and regain their strength.

Amazingly, Kiba and Akamaru were still outside, killing as many zombies as they could. While the other survivors may have been able to accept what had happened to the people, Kiba couldn't. He felt incredibly enraged by what had happened to all of the people in this village. He wouldn't... he _couldn't_ stop until he had freed all of the undead villagers from their fates! So many innocent people had died, and their bodies had been made to attack their former people and change them into their kind! Parents being attacked by their undead children... children being attacked by their undead parents. Friends being attacked by undead friends, husbands being attacked by undead wives, wives being attack by undead husbands! So much rage and sorrow had been thrown on the people of Konoha, all of it forced upon them by that twisted Uchiha bitch!

Kiba took a pause to briefly recover his stamina. He had been using Fang over Fang for quite a while and he needed to pause for a bit.

"Yamato-sensei! I need protection over here!" Kiba called out. Before he could react, he felt cold, haggard breath on his neck. He heard the soft moan of a woman. Kiba turned around to see his sister claimed by the undead! Hana's skin was now a clammy gray, and blood was spread across her mouth and hands. Kiba began to cry as Hana lunged forward and sank her teeth into her baby brother's neck. Kiba cried out in physical and emotional pain as his sister feasted on her brother. As Kiba's vision blurred and darkened, he saw the zombified versions of his mother, Tsume, and Choji.

_Heh... it's like a fucking reunion..._ Kiba thought grimly as he died. Akamaru ran up to his fallen master and howled in sorrow. He did nothing against the zombified Hana, Tsume, and Choji that approached him and bit into his sides. Yamato finally arrived, and he cursed at what he saw. Kiba rose up, and Akamaru sadly barked as he leapt forward and delivered a crushing bite to Kiba's head, killing him once more. Akamaru looked at Yamato with the saddest eyes a dog could make as he whimpered. Yamato nodded and formed a large tree trunk to smash Akamaru, Choji, Hana, and Tsume.

Rain began to fall as the zombies still unrelentlessly approached them. Akira, who was in the Administration Building, growled as she swiftly walked outside.

"THAT'S IT! I'M TIRED OF THIS! EVERYONE, BACK INSIDE!" she screamed, "I'M FED UP WITH THIS! WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING TOO LONG! I'VE FOUGHT LONG ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS FORBIDDEN JUTSU, SO EVERYONE GET INSIDE!"

Qian Fu, who had just killed the last zombie near him, ran up to Akira.

"But, Akira!" Qian Fu protested.

"What? It's our only shot at wiping out these bastards without risking any more casualties!" Akira exclaimed.

"We both know you're not strong enough to use the clan desparation jutsu yet! Even the Kazekage has _ordered_ you not to use the technique! You could _die_, Akira! _Die!_" Qian Fu said with panic.

Akira grinned at him, "Don't worry about me! Look, everyone else is inside! You're just delaying the show! I can do this, Qian Fu, trust me!"

Qian Fu stared solemnly at Akira for a few moments.

"...Very well. Just don't die on me," he said as he turned and entered the building.

"ALL RIGHT! LET'S GET THIS SHOW STARTED!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Somehow, she managed to be louder than all of the zombies combined. She pulled back the sleeves of her warrior dress, exposing her arms. Her fingers lit aflame as she began burning delicate, spiraling symbols onto her arms. She then bit her thumb to the point of bleeding, and she dabbed the blood on the highest points of the design on both of her arms. She then made her arms perfectly straight, pointing down. The blood began to flow down the design, traveling through the slight dip of the burnt skin. The blood began dripping onto her hands, signifying that it was time for the hand seals. She began making a series of them, ending them with a unique hand seal nobody in the Administration Building recognized.

"SECRET MISHOTO ART: WILDFIRE MAELSTROM!" Akira shouted. The ground began to rumble as Akira became encased in a bright orange-red glow. She began screaming in pain as the glow enveloped her entire body. She let out a triumphant yell as she released the massive amount of energy she had stored. Bankou quickly formed some hand seals to raise a stone wall, much like Qian Fu had done earlier, to protect everyone. Huge amounts of superheated flame surged across the area. Even the stone wall began to melt due to the intense heat and force of the attack. The rumbling soon ceased, and the stone wall sank back into the ground. The survivors gasped at the sight before them.

Any signs that there had been a massive siege of undead and several buildings were completely eliminated. Smoke filled the area, as did the smell of burnt flesh. Akira lay on the ground, her skin burnt. She weakly smiled at them all as she said, "I took them out." Everyone sighed in relief that the zombie threat had been eliminated. Everyone headed back inside as Sakura took Akira inside and began to heal her burns.

Finally, peace.

* * *

An hour had passed since the hour-long fight with the undead. Everyone was, once again, focused on his or her inner thoughts. Everyone lost in this terrible event were being silently mourned by all of the survivors.

"I just can't believe it..." Jiraiya said softly, "...that two of the strongest ninja nations could both be reduced to this... it's just..."

Sakura unexpectedly began to cry. She stood up and left the building.

"Sorry, but..." Sakura began as she ran out, unable to finish her thoughts. She ran across the empty land and stopped somewhere. She knelt down and began bawling, cupping her hands over her face. She just couldn't take it! Her entire life had been crushed in simply three days! Nearly everyone she knew, including her mother, had been turned into undead savages. Some of her friends survived, but they, too, had fallen to the plague. Ino was nowhere to be seen and she was presumed undead, and she most likely was reduced to ash by Akira's jutsu. The love of her life rejected her in such a harsh way, and her other love had found another woman. How could she go on?

She stopped crying as she heard a moan behind her. Shocked, she removed her hands from her face and spun around as her assailant knocked her to the ground.

* * *

_I guess she just couldn't hold her emotions in..._ Naruto thought as he saw Sakura leave the building. Naruto got up off of the floor.

"I'm going to go comfort her..." Naruto said. Nobody said anything, not even Hinata. Naruto left the building as he began looking around for Sakura.

It was still raining, and Naruto felt a bit unnerved as he stared at the destroyed ruins of the once prosperous area around the Administration Building. The smoke had faded from the air, but its smell was still thick in the air.

"Sakura!" Naruto called out. There was no response. Naruto simply called out her name once more. Still no response.

Worried now, Naruto began searching the general area for her. He soon found her, but he wished he found her before.

Sakura was on the ground, struggling against a zombified Ino! Ino's hand was on Sakura's throat, making her unable to speak, and Ino was gradually overwhelming Sakura and getting closer to her neck. Sakura was crying, terrified that her once best friend had now become this monster and that she had somehow survived Akira's jutsu!

Naruto yelled in worry and anger as he ran forward to kick Ino off of Sakura. In Sakura's eyes, everything was happening in slow motion. She saw Naruto approaching her from the corner of her eyes, but her eyes were locked on Ino's face. Her face had been untouched by blood, showing that she hadn't bitten anyone, and her breath was lukewarm and haggard. Sakura's strength fell as Ino made one last shove to reach her. Her teeth and lips touched Sakura's right shoulder, and they scraped against them...

Ino made a choked-sounding moan as Naruto's foot slammed into her side. She was launched off of Sakura and was sent rolling for a few feet. Naruto scooped up Sakura in his arms.

"Are you okay!?!" Naruto asked with lots of anxiousness in his voice. His eyes quickly darted around her body, and they fell on her right shoulder. His heart stopped.

There was a small wound on it, and it was definitely caused by Ino. Naruto growled in anger as he set Sakura down and ran over to Ino, who was slowly getting up. He raised his leg and did an axe kick on her back, sending her to the ground again. He then stomped on her head, crushing it under his weight. The entire head of Ino smashed like a water balloon, with skin, hair, blood, brain matter, and an eye flying away from it. Naruto didn't focus on that as he ran back to Sakura and scooped her up in his arms again. He embraced her tightly, and Sakura returned the embrace.

"Don't you _dare_ turn on me!" Naruto demanded as he, too, began to cry. Sakura looked up at him with a tear-stained face.

"Naruto, please... leave me... or kill me," she said. Naruto began crying more when he heard her say that.

"S-Sakura... I c-can't..." he whimpered through tears.

"I love you, Naruto... I've always loved you, ever since we became teammates. I just kept convincing myself that Sasuke was better and I'd be able to win him over," Sakura said weakly, "Please... tell Sasuke that I'm sorry for being so annoying..."

Naruto began to bawl, "S-Sakura! D-don't talk that w-way!" he whimpered once more, "Y-you'll be fine!"

"Please, Naruto... could you give me a kiss? Our first and last..." she said weakly. Naruto wiped the tears as he respected the dying woman's wishes. What was a few seconds seemed like many hours to Naruto as their lips and tongues connected briefly. They moved apart, and Naruto felt Sakura's embrace become weaker.

"Thank you, Naruto... I know you'll make Hinata happy... tell her that she sure is lucky to have someone like you... goodbye, Naruto..." Sakura said as her arms fell and her body became limp. Naruto set Sakura down in panic and shook her body.

"Sakura! Wake up! _Wake up!_" Naruto pleaded with the dead girl as he shook her. Naruto screamed in sorrow and pain as he realized that Sakura was gone and she wasn't coming back.

He then heard a small mumble from Sakura. He felt a surge of happiness as he looked downwards at Sakura. That joy was instantly snuffed out when Sakura opened her eyes to reveal that they were now the same soulless milky white as the other undead. Naruto backed away from Sakura as she slowly stood up, and Naruto turned around and tried to run away, but he felt sick to his stomach and he lost his balance and fell down. Too sick to stand back up, Naruto turned around to face the zombified Sakura and slowly tried to crawl away from her as she slowly shambled towards him.

Memories of her began to flood through his head as her undead form slowly approached him. So many memories... he had truly loved this woman, and her life had been taken from her so easily...

She was close to him now. Her small, quiet moans were now audible as she leaned down to grab him.

"Please, Sakura..." Naruto begged as he pulled a kunai from a pouch, "...don't make me do this."

Of course, Sakura did nothing as her hands grabbed Naruto's shoulders, her grip nice and tight. Her mouth opened as she moaned and moved her mouth to Naruto's neck... Naruto mustered up the courage and strength and rammed the kunai upwards into her chin. Sakura stopped in her tracks and fell over, dead, next to Naruto. Naruto dropped the kunai and raised his head as he yelled in sorrow, anger, and tons of pain. He yelled until his lungs were empty, and then he began punching the ground.

He would not stop punching the ground until his knuckles were raw and bloody. He would not stop crying until the rain stopped. And it felt like it would never cease.


	28. Chapter 28: Oculus ex Inferni

The Necromancer, Chapter 28:

Even though two hours had passed since Sakura was claimed by the ranks of the undead, the tears still fell from Naruto's face. He was inside now, for Shikamaru became worried and found him outside crying next to Sakura's corpse. The lobby was empty except for Naruto, Hinata, and him. Shikamaru was leaning against a wall while Hinata was absent-mindedly stroking Naruto's back. Naruto was huddled up underneath a towel, and he and Hinata were sitting on a couch.

The Sand-nin were in a different room that contained Akira. She was unconscious, but Karin had lended some of her healing blood to the girl, so she would be fine. They were all still resting and recuperating from the exhausting attack from the zombie horde.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto... I don't know how many times to say that," Hinata said lowly. She felt horrible, since her last words to Sakura were so spiteful and mean...

"Yes... it truly hurts to lose a loved one," Shikamaru sagely said, "it feels as if all hope and joy in your life is taken away..." Shikamaru briefly thought of Gemna's reaction after Ibiki died, "...but there's always a shining light behind the darkest of storms."

"I know..." Naruto said quietly, "...it's just that only time will heal these wounds. There's nothing that can help me for now."

Shikamaru sighed heavily. He knew _exactly_ how Naruto felt, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling at all. The biggest help in curing Naruto's pain would be one that cared for him... Hinata. Just as Temari was the only one that could cure his pain, Hinata was the only one capable of removing Naruto's pain.

"Hinata... it's up to you to make him feel better," Shikamaru said as he left the room, "and trust me, you're the only one."

Hinata closed her eyes and nodded as she hugged her love tightly. Her warm touch even penetrated the towel's fibers. The tears stopped, and Naruto realized that he had to keep fighting. There were still threats out there, and he had to protect the ones that cared for him and the ones he cared for. It wasn't over, and Sakura's passing away was just another bump in the rocky path they had been traveling. She could always be mourned later, but right now... it wasn't the time. Naruto felt rejuvenated as he threw the towel off of him and wiped his eyes. He turned to Hinata and smiled lightly before giving her a passionate kiss. They soon withdrew from each other.

"Thank you," he whispered to her. Hinata smiled lightly back at Naruto as she nodded.

A sudden, massive, booming noise surged through the Administration Building, which was shaken by the shockwave. The others soon poured into the room, clamoring on what the source of the quake was. Jiraiya stepped outside and stopped in shock. Any who followed him did the exact same thing, as the source of the quake was in clear view.

Clearly visible outside the village gates was an enormous silver-white wolf with five tails- one tail surrounded by whirling winds, one tail engulfed in raging flames, one tail encased in shining water, one tail enclosed in marble stone, and one tail with electricity arcing around it.

"It's... the five-tailed wolf!" Jiraiya exclaimed in disbelief.

* * *

Otoshi leaped back as Kenokami became surrounded by a massive aura of white chakra and transformed into this monstrous form. Otoshi frowned as he felt the near-bijuu's presence.

_Grr... taking on this creature will be a hassle. It would be fine if it weren't accompanied by an annoying girl who used some weird chakra-jamming jutsu..._ Otoshi thought as he cursed the Uchiha girl's repertoire of jutsu unknown to him. First that weird chain-propelled arm blade, then the exploding and iron maiden clones, that odd multi-elemental orb, the weird jutsu that seemed to be a short-term teleportation, those pesky traps, and now this chakra disrupting aura.

Otoshi readied his sword and listened to the movements of the tails flicking about. He had to memorize their patterns of movement so that he wouldn't get slammed by one of them. He mainly had to ignore the near-bijuu and take down Reiko. He cursed, as it suddenly became a much harder task. The problematic woman had just leapt on the back of the five-tailed wolf. Great... just what he needed.

"Oh, fuck me sideways..." Otoshi swore as _another_ problem conveniently arrived at the moment. Two Akatsuki members... he recognized their scents.

Reiko gasped as the two robed people entered the clearing. They grabbed their shades and threw them off. The taller of the two grinned as he unstrapped the large bandaged sword from his back, while the smaller one merely looked at the five-tailed wolf.

"Itachi Uchiha... Kisame Hoshigaki," Otoshi and Reiko spoke (unknowingly) at the same time.

"Well, it seems that you're not getting along," Kisame said with a small smirk. Kenokami growled and lashed at Kisame with one of his tails, which has promptly blocked and held off by Samehada.

_**It's... like a chakra leech!**_ Kenokami thought as he quickly pulled the tail back and clawed at Kisame, who blocked the wolf's attack once more with his sword. Itachi was standing there and observing Otoshi and Reiko intently, his sharingan eyes picking up acute details about them and the surrounding environment.

_The entire area's filled with some sort of chakra disruptors... most likely Reiko's work,_ Itachi thought, _and Otoshi doesn't seem to be human. The features of his skin are all wrong, and they're slightly different in areas. And to know he has that dangerously powerful genjutsu behind that blindfold... I'll have to be careful._

"So, even though we've both predicted the answer... forget the formalities. You're not going to come quietly with us, are you, Necromancer and Five-Tails?" Kisame asked.

"Of course not!" Reiko screamed as she jumped off of Kenokami and onto a nearby tree. She produced two spherical objects from her robe and tossed them down into the clearing. Kenokami shielded himself with his tails as the circular orbs burst open, sending a shower of senbon needles outwards. Kisame used the tried-and-true Samehada defense, Otoshi took the blows of the few needles that reached his location, and Itachi swiftly maneuvered around and dodged the needle storm. He would have simply body flickered out of the way, but even simple uses of chakra like that were rendered null by the chakra disruptors. Reiko bit her lip as she nervously analyzed the situation.

_Dammit, this isn't good at all! The two of us could have handled Otoshi, but now Itachi and Kisame show up,_ she thought, _we could've taken Otoshi, but... this anti-chakra aura doesn't seem to hinder Kisame at all. If I disable it to use strong jutsus to eliminate the oppositions, then I free Itachi of his restraints, and who knows what terrifying feats he's capable of..._

Reiko made her decision. She removed the anti-chakra aura and formed two different sets of hand seals. After the second set, she held out her hand, and a ball of chakra formed in her palm. It began to slightly spin as air began spiraling around it. The ball then caught aflame, and electricity crackled into existence around the ball. Reiko set her eyes on Itachi and let out a primal scream as she dashed out of her hiding spot and thrust the chakra ball at Itachi.

Itachi, without turning to look at her, moved his hand back and grabbed Reiko's wrist with a tight grip. Reiko gasped as her multi-elemental jutsu faded. Itachi then twisted her wrist, and audible crack being heard. Itachi smirked with smug confidence, but he made a fatal mistake by not looking at Reiko. A chain doused in flammable liquid sprung out of Reiko's chest and it ensnared Itachi as her clone exploded. Itachi screamed in pain as he flew back from the blast, several flames dancing upon his body and licking his skin with their barbed tongues.

Kisame was trying to find a weak spot in the near-bijuu by using an offensive defense. He feigned convinces slashes at the beast just to see what defensive measures it had, and he easily blocked them with his sword. Kisame frowned when he heard Itachi's cry of pain and the crackle of fire. He turned around and spat a large glob of water on Itachi, which doused the flames instantly. Doing that, however, left Kisame open to an attack by Kenokami, who slammed his lightning tail into Kisame from above. Kisame grunted, holding back a cry of immense pain, as the electricity coursed through his body and as he was slammed into the ground.

Otoshi chuckled to himself. The four had simply seemed to forget about him. Watching them battle was quite exciting, and it amused him greatly. Yet his bloodlust was making him fairly irritated. He wanted these pesky thorns out of his way, and with the chakra-disrupting field lifted...

Otoshi retreated into a well-shadowed area under the trees. He took a deep breath and began forming hand seals. It would take a while for the jutsu to be readied, but as long as they ignored him...

Kisame slowly got up as Itachi thought of his next course of action. _Using Amaterasu would be far too risky..._ Itachi thought as he weighed his options. He then heard Reiko yell. He turned towards the source of the noise and saw Reiko dashing towards him, two wristblades dripping in what was most likely a deadly poison. He noted that her sharingan began to change... the three tomoe altered shape to be orbs as the tails extended and connected the three circles in a ring. Three small spikes then emerged from the areas between two circles. Itachi braced himself for a Mangekyo technique...

Memories began to resurface. Memories of a time that he wished he could forget...

_Every Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan has access to three particular jutsus..._ Madara had told him when he killed Shisui, his best friend, to be inducted into Akatsuki, _...Tsukiyomi and Amaterasu are jutsu that every Mangekyo user has, but each Uchiha has an innate jutsu unique solely to them..._

Itachi hoped that Reiko wouldn't use her unique Mangekyo technique, as that technique was usually the deadliest one in an Uchiha's vast repertoire of jutsus.

"Izanagi!" Reiko yelled as she suddenly vanished. Itachi gasped as he lost all traces of her. He couldn't even sense her!

"Kisame, do-" Itachi began.

"No... she just vanished," Kisame finished. Kenokami roared in anger as he began charging up a large orb of electricity in his mouth. Kisame grunted and ran forward to combat the near-bijuu, leaving Itachi closely observing his surroundings in an attempt to find Reiko. But it was to no avail... it was as if she genuinely vanished into thin air.

Itachi spun around and clapped his hands on the side of two wristblades that were mere inches away from his heart. Reiko was... her torso and everything above it were floating in mid-air, but her lower half was nowhere to be seen! It looked like there was an invisible portal she was emerging from. Itachi realized that this was her unique Mangekyo technique... to vanish into air and reappear out of it. A fitting technique for the name of the chief god. The fact that he had sensed her strike, let alone blocked it, was a miraculous feat.

"The Art of Searing Shadows!" Otoshi yelled from the forest. All heads turned towards the forest as Otoshi's head emerged from the treetops and began moving closer. As he entered the clearing, it was apparent a very powerful jutsu had been used. A large amalgamation of shadow flames were lifting Otoshi up and consuming all of his body except his chest, arms, and head. Otoshi began laughing maniacally as the shadow flames broke off of the large structure holding Otoshi and began flying towards the four opponents, but mainly Kenokami.

Reiko retreated back into the air as a shadow fireball headed towards her. Itachi quickly leaped backwards to narrowly avoid the fireball, but another one grazed his arm. A completely unpleasant and unbearable ice cold pain flowed across the area it grazed. Kisame had been struck by a few, and he had been brought down to his knees. Seeing no other choice, Itachi body flickered over to Kisame and slung Kisame's arm over his shoulder to support him. The two then body flickered away.

The rest of the shadows unrelentlessly pounded Kenokami, who howled in pain. Wave after wave of ice-cold fireballs struck Kenokami's near-bijuu form until he stopped moving and began to shrink and revert to his human form. The remaining shadows holding up Otoshi (now inches off of the ground instead of feet) dispersed as Otoshi collapsed to the ground, his legs, hands, and back completely burned.

Reiko quickly darted out of the air and ran over to Kenokami. She turned his body over and saw all of the horrible wounds covering his skin. Her eyes were wide with panic as she shakily felt for a pulse, her eyes darting all across her love's body. He wasn't breathing. He had died.

Her heart had been crushed... her life had been ruined. Her goal of zombifying the world had failed in the one city she was confident she could completely take down, and the only person she could trust had been taken from her... the only person that kept her alive...

A scream of sorrow erupted from Reiko's chest as tears flowed down her face. She got up and ran off, her mind clouded with pain and trauma.

Otoshi growled as he heard Reiko's footsteps fade away. _Fuck, only got one of 'em, and that was because he made himself huge..._ Otoshi cursed, _...dammit, I need to remove them from the world. I'm not letting these burns hold me back!_

Otoshi struggled to stand, but he could barely move before pain wracked through his entire body. He swore as he gave up. He then felt a surge of power at his side. If he could see, he would see Masamune glowing a dark red.

"Oh... I forgot about you..." Otoshi said as he grinned deviously.

* * *

A wave of confusion and fear swept over the survivors. Why did a bijuu appear? And what could _possibly_ take it down so easily?

"Kenokami..." Naruto said quietly as he realized what must have happened. Jiraiya probably realized as well, for he cleared his throat and spoke.

"That bijuu was one of our enemies, Kenokami. From the looks of things, he's no more. I assume that brief battle we couldn't observe well was between our three remaining enemies," Jiraiya said.

Sasuke, Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo, after a quiet conversation with themselves, began leaving the area.

"Hey, where do you think you're going!?" Naruto yelled at the four. Sasuke shot a cold look at Naruto.

"Itachi's here," was all he said as the four left. Naruto looked like he was about to stop them by force, but Hinata spoke.

"Not to interrupt, but... I... um... someone's heading this way!" Hinata warned as she looked out at the horizon, "But don't worry! She... well..."

Sobs were heard in the distance as a grief-stricken Reiko walked up to the survivors. She collapsed on her knees and clasped her hands together before looking up at the survivors shamefully. This sudden appearance removed all attention from Team Hebi, who made their departures.

"I... I... I'm so s-sorry," Reiko sobbed, "P-please forgive m-me!"

The survivors eyed her cautiously. Seeing no open antagonism, she continued, "Otoshi... he... k-k-ki... killed Kenokami," Reiko said, pausing to sob some more. She took a deep breath, wiped some tears from her eyes, and continued quietly, "I never meant for things to turn out this way. I... I was going to make the world experience the pain I felt as a child, starting with Konoha, but... it... I now realize it was all meaningless!"

Reiko sobbed some more as she looked into the eyes of all of the survivors, "Please, Otoshi must be stopped! I'll... I'll help! Kenokami... he was a good man! Trust me! He... needs to be... avenged..." Reiko pleaded. She then collapsed into sorrowful cries.

Naruto, with his head bowed, walked up to Reiko. He reached down, grabbed the collar of her robe, lifted her up, and stared her straight in the eyes with fierce determination.

"What you did... it _can't_ be forgiven! You took away several of my friends, you utterly destroyed my home, you took away a loved one... _nothing_ that you went through can excuse your actions! I've even already felt this pain! I didn't..." Naruto yelled, tears beginning to fall from his eyes, "... I was a jinchuuriki, too! Do you know how _painful_ it is to not have _any_ friends as a child? Well, you do, don't you? And so did Kenokami! And pain... everyone's felt it in his or her lives! There's always a moment in one's life where everything doesn't seem to matter anymore... _everyone's_ felt it. Your little _massacre_ was _completely_ unnecessary!"

Reiko gasped as Naruto told her this. She began to cry as she realized the fatal flaws in her plan.

"Rest assured, though..." Naruto said as he dropped her and wiped his eyes with his right hand, "Otoshi will be stopped. And we'll avenge Kenokami and Reiko... you have my word."

Reiko bowed her head in shame, "Thank you... but... why do... _I_ need to be avenged?" she asked.

"Because what you have done cannot be forgiven! I don't care what you went through; it can't excuse your actions!" Naruto screamed, outraged, "YOU ARE MORE THAN A MUDERER! YOU ARE A _GENOCIDIST!_ DO YOU _REALIZE_ THAT? DO YOU _REALIZE_ HOW MANY LIVES YOU ROBBED FROM COMPLETELY INNOCENT PEOPLE!?!"

Reiko's eyes widened as she screamed in terror due to the revelation of her actions. She began sobbing loudly as she reverted to the fetal position and began shaking and crying uncontrollably. Naruto looked back at the others with a sad look in his eyes.

"I'm going to kill her. I... I don't want to, but... part of me wants to avenge everybody," Naruto said quietly. Nobody said anything or appeared to object to his actions.

"Everything you said is absolutely correct, Naruto," Jiraiya said, "and while we feel pity for her... she has to be punished."

Naruto nodded as he turned to look at the pathetic form of The Necromancer. He bit his lip, closed his eyes, and formed a rasengan. He screamed in sorrowful anger as he thrust the orb of whirling chakra downwards. Reiko's cries became silent, and the uneasy silence washed over the entire area. Naruto turned away from Reiko's body as Jiraiya removed his red cloak and covered the body with it. Naruto walked over to Hinata and embraced her, crying onto her shoulder.

Clapping was heard in the distance. All heads turned towards the noise to see Otoshi walking up to the survivors, glowing dark red chakra enveloping his arms, legs, and back.

"Well, now, that was quite unexpected of you, Naruto," Otoshi said. Naruto growled as he turned away from Hinata.

"PISS OFF!" he yelled angrily at Otoshi. Otoshi grinned as he heard the movements in the air. How special, all of the survivors felt _so_ threatened by his presence that they're all ready to strike!

"What exactly are you trying to achieve here, Otoshi?" Shikamaru asked. The others looked at him with shocked looks, and Shikamaru retorted, "He's not aggressive... at least _yet._ We might as well clear up some things about him."

"Ah, yes, I do feel a bit civil today. Perhaps because I'm rather thankful that you ridded me of the pest that ran away," Otoshi said as he turned his head to Naruto's position and smirked. Naruto knew that the man was just trying to egg him on further, so he restrained his rage. A small sense of satisfaction came when Otoshi frowned at his failure to piss Naruto off.

"Well, anyways, I was given these eyes for one reason: to create a new world and rule over it," Otoshi said, "Surely that is the only reason I was given these powerful eyes. And I chose never to abuse their power until I was quite sure I could control what I had in store. The main problem would be the overload of power that might have flown through me. After all, I'm sure it would be quite easy for _you_ to get carried away if you could control _anyone_ you wanted, with just a glance. See, there were two options that kept flowing through my mind... with this power; I could either be a benevolent savior or a malevolent, selfish dictator. I have frequently thought about becoming the latter, but... I have chosen the former."

"_What!?_ That's bullshit! How can you consider yourself a savior!?" Shikamaru exclaimed. The others had similar looks of disbelief on their faces.

"Well, _you're_ quite jumpy. And I thought you were the analytical genius of this little team?" Otoshi said, "Well, you see, all humans are parasites to the world they live on. They poison it and plague it with war and strife. I am not human, for one. Orochimaru made me. I am an artificial human: a homunculus. And under Orochimaru, I experienced war and its effects. I _detested_ war and what it brought. I want to control everybody to make a world with peace, and to ultimately prevent humanity from wiping themselves out. Orochimaru _made_ me _and_ my eyes to rule this world!"

_So Orochimaru made him..._ Naruto thought, _...that certainly explains things._ Naruto closed his eyes, thinking of what to say, before he yelled, "Ridiculous! You're full of shit! You cause the very feelings you're 'trying' to stop, and when you control people with your Ryuukugan, they lose consciousness! Your world of peace would just be a world of soulless puppets, and I _won't_ allow it to happen!"

Otoshi growled in annoyance, "A world of soulless puppets? It's already happened, ninja! You ninja are all just puppets for your Kages, who blindly follow the Daimyo's whims and insure that their villages of puppets survive! Civilians... they're all mindless drones that better the community. I, at least, will correct the strings of the puppeteer."

"You have no room to be talking," Jiraiya said, "You're obviously misinformed on how things _really_ work, but I'll spare you the details. Look, I've read Orochimaru's journals... every last one of them. This is the cold, hard truth Otoshi: you are a mistake."

He paused to let that sink in, "Orochimaru _never_ cared for you. You were just another suspected-to-fail experiment that turned out to work. Everything he taught you were just additional experiments to see how his first successful homunculus would work. And I'm not surprised that your thoughts are malfunctional. You can't seem to grasp the big picture here, Otoshi. Ninja are tools, yes, but there are actual people behind these tools. I'm sure everyone besides sociopathic bastards like yourself desire this peaceful world you envision, but by obtaining it through genuine methods. Please, Otoshi, drop your childish excuses for wanting to seize control of the world. No matter how many excuses you throw out there, it won't change the simple fact that you are a sad mistake that is trying to justify his existence as being a 'savior.' What a load of rubbish..."

Otoshi grit his teeth as he fumed with anger. He knew things were about to get _incredibly_ messy, so he threw off his cloak.

"Hehehe... HAHAHA!" Otoshi cackled madly, "Fine, FINE! I believe you! I _am_ a mistake! A pitiful mistake, just like the current state of this world! But you know what? Like the world's current state, I _do_ exist! And with _my_ existence, I will change YOUR existence for the better! And those who defy my will..."

Otoshi unsheathed Masamune from its ornate scabbard, "...the will of the savior of this world..."

Otoshi charged forward as he screamed, "...SHALL BE CUT DOWN!"


	29. Chapter 29: Savior of the World

The Necromancer, Chapter 29:

The survivors prepared themselves as Otoshi charged towards them. Temari, Kankuro, and Yoichiro fell back so they could attack from a distance. A curse seal on Otoshi's neck glowed as a spiral pattern spread across his skin. The others prepared to defend against Otoshi, but they were taken by surprise when Otoshi bypassed them and headed towards the three that fell back.

Temari gasped as the demented man charged towards her. She whipped out her iron fan, unfurled it, and gave it a hefty swing, causing Otoshi to fly back to its force. She looked towards Kankuro, who nodded and summoned Crow, the only puppet he had been able to repair from Sasori's attacks. A dart drenched in poison emerged from the puppet's mouth as it scurried over towards Otoshi. Otoshi turned towards it, made a quick one-handed seal, and Masamune burst aflame. A swift cleaving movement split Crow in two. Kankuro gasped as Otoshi approached him with immense speed and stabbed him in the chest.

"NOOO!!!" Temari yelled in sorrow as she bit her thumb and spread her blood across the fan. She summoned Kamatari, who darted forward at immense speeds that made the weasel appear to be invisible. Kamatari readied its sickle and slashed at Otoshi several times within a second, but Otoshi blocked all of the blows, grinning at the challenge the summon was giving him. He then heard a small opening where the sickle's cuts could not be heard, and Otoshi stabbed the weasel summon, causing it to vanish. He then ran towards Temari, who was caught off guard. She was also in shock, for _nobody_ had ever been able to block Kamatari like that. Yoichiro threw several barbed kunai at Otoshi, but he simply took the blows as he stabbed through Temari. He then body flickered directly behind Yoichiro, who summoned a large shuriken and whirled around to attack Otoshi. He blocked the shuriken's force, and he cut through Yoichiro with a second slice.

"Three down," Otoshi sadistically said as he flicked his wrist, blood flying off of Masamune. The flames faded from the artifact as the survivors stared at Otoshi with a mixture of awe, fear, and hate. He had just killed _three_ powerful shinobi in mere minutes! The others were _not_ prepared to take this attack lightly, and the remaining Sand nin had looks of rage upon their faces. Qian Fu and Akira yelled as they ran forward to attack Otoshi, preventing the others from being able to attack Otoshi properly.

Qian Fu unstrapped his zanbato and sung it at Otoshi, and Otoshi blocked it and used the second slice to cut into Qian Fu, as he did with Yoichiro. However, Qian Fu didn't go down that easily. He ignored the pain as he used his strength to slam his arm into Otoshi, sending him flying back. Akira bit her thumbs and made a few hand seals with the blood, and she summoned a large phoenix. Otoshi stood up and made a one-handed seal, and the flames on Masamune's blade turned into a column of water that spiraled around the blade.

"It can shift elements!?!" Qian Fu cried out in shock as Otoshi leaped up at the phoenix, which unleashed a blast of flame from its mouth. Masamune effortlessly cleaved through the flame, the water powered with chakra to make it a super extinguisher. He stabbed the phoenix through the head at the peak of his jump, and he stabbed Akira in the head as he fell. He pulled the sword out of her head and turned around to block Qian Fu's enraged attacks with his zanbato. Otoshi maneuvered around his clunky movements fueled by anger and beheaded Qian Fu. The water around the blade vanished and he once more flicked the blood off the blade.

"Five down," he said, a manic grin spreading across his face.

Gaara roared in anger as he manipulated the sand in his gourd, which rushed forward and surrounded Otoshi. Bankou made some hand seals and also contributed by extracting some of the soil from the ground and clumping it together around Gaara's sand. Gaara then made the earth surrounding Otoshi constrict, crushing the homunculus.

Everyone's hopes rose as there was a moment of silence, but they were quickly squelched when the earth burst outward, revealing Otoshi in his bizarre final curse seal stage. Otoshi's left half was a pale blue, elegant and angelic, and it had an angel wing. Juxtaposed in a stark contrast was his right side, which was a dark red, demonic and barbaric, and with a demon wing.

Otoshi chuckled, "You're all pathetic..." he spoke, his voice layered with hints of madness, "I'm going all out. I suggest you do the same."

Guy stepped forward, his face grave.

"If you INSIST!!!" he yelled, opening all eight gates at once. A huge influx of chakra bursting out of him, causing the land to shake tremendously. Guy yelled in a confident war cry as he charged forward at speeds so great they made loud cracks with every movement he made. Guy furiously beat upon a hapless Otoshi, knocking him high into the sky and unrelentlessly pounding upon the homunculus. Otoshi was knocked every way in the sky, and he was completely helpless. Guy was simply moving far too fast for Otoshi to detect, and the only reason he was still living was due to the extreme endurance of his curse seal form. A final fiery blow knocked Otoshi into the ground, causing a massive crater at his point of impact. Guy appeared to glide downwards from the sky, signs of fatigue highly visible.

"That... is the power... OF YOUTH!!!" Guy yelled, "AND NOW FOR THE FINAL BL-"

Guy was cut off as Otoshi rose up and stabbed the jonin in the throat. Guy made a few sputtering noises as blood fell from his wound and his mouth. He fell, dead. Lee was in severe trauma due to his beloved sensei, who was like a father to him, sacrificing his life; but now he hadn't even been able to succeed in slaying the monster! Lee cried out in sorrow as he charged towards Otoshi, crying out, "YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED GUY-SENSEI!!!"

Masamune also felled Lee. Otoshi slouched over, signs of physical trauma visible on his eerie form: such as a dislocated arm, several dents in his thick skin, and a few bloodied areas. He breathed heavily as he spat out some blood. "S...seven down..." he said weakly with a cruel smile.

"H-how..." Hinata muttered, her voice on the verge of breaking. Otoshi's opponents were overwhelmed with the killing efficiency of this monster, not to mention their sorrow and rage at him due to the lives he took.

"He's weakened," Jiraiya said as he bit his thumb, made the hand seals, and summoned Gamabunta. Bankou also made a summoning jutsu, summoning a large scorpion. Yamato grit his teeth as he restrained Otoshi with wood, but he knew it was only temporary.

"Come on, hop on Gamabunta or Jirigo!" Bankou called out to Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru, Gaara, and Yamato, his voice still strong despite what he witnessed, "This isn't over yet!"

The others clambered onto the summons, which loomed over the fatigued Otoshi. Their summons seemed to mock Otoshi with their immense stature compared to him. He was surely finished...

Otoshi, instead of cowering, madly laughed, "I have a summon, too!"

He held up Masamune, which began glowing with the same glow that encased his arms and legs. A large amount of billowing smoke enveloped the area, clearing to reveal a large dragon with jade scales and large wings.

"Masamune is the secret artifact of the Uchihas, as King Emna is to the Senjus! Prepare yourself!" he proclaimed as the summons prepared to do battle...

* * *

Team Hebi was body flickering over to where the two Akatsuki members were. Sasuke was speeding ahead in anticipation of killing Itachi, making his teammates struggle to keep up.

"W-Wait! Sasuke, we need to turn right here!" Karin called out, slightly out of breath. Despite almost missing the turn, Sasuke took it as if he knew which way to go. Eventually they reached and stopped at an open area: a park where the villagers might have relaxed in before the outbreak. And standing in this park were two Akatsuki members wearing shades to obscure their faces. They didn't fool Sasuke, since the taller one was holding a large blade covered in bandages. The two removed their shades and tossed them aside, revealing their identities: Kisame and Itachi. Itachi looked gravely at Sasuke, who had activated his sharingan.

"Well hello there!" Kisame greeted them four as he observed them. Sasuke looked just as Itachi had described him. The girl and the taller boy were unknown to him, but he recognized Suigetsu, and a large fanged grin appeared on his face as he remarked, "Well, well. This certainly is a surprise... I never thought I'd see you again, Suigetsu."

Suigetsu showed an equally fanged grin as he unstrapped Zabuza's sword from his back. He then said, "I want Samehada."

Kisame's already large grin grew even larger as he gripped Samehada and flicked his wrist, a few of the uppermost bandages wrapped around the sword flying off, revealing its blue scaled surface.

"Shall I assist you, Sasuke?" Jugo asked Sasuke, whose eyes were fixated on Itachi.

"No... you'll stay here with Suigetsu and Karin. Itachi is solely mine," Sasuke ordered. Jugo nodded and walked over to Karin, who was a short distance behind Suigetsu.

Itachi made a quick beckoning gesture as he suddenly body flickered away. Sasuke yelled in a battle cry as he followed Itachi.

Kisame eyed the other two members of Sasuke's group. He made a few hand seals, and a hollow dome of water formed around the two. Suigetsu briefly panicked as the dome formed, but he calmed down once he realized that they could still breathe inside of it.

Jugo growled as his arm grew large and monstrous. He bashed against the wall of water, but it was diamond-hard.

"It's no use; you're stuck in there," Kisame said, "Don't worry. I just want to go toe-to-toe with Suigetsu for a while. If he performs pathetically, I'll let you two help him out."

Jugo sighed as he controlled himself. His arm reverted to normal as he and Karin watched the battle through the blue dome.

Suigetsu roared as he charged forward and clashed blades with Kisame. They both struggled to overpower the other, but it was a stalemate. Kisame took this opportunity to speak with Suigetsu.

"So, why do you want my Samehada?" Kisame asked Suigetsu.

"It's for Mangetsu... he never got to be an official Swordsman of the Mist! I will fulfill his wish!" Suigetsu said.

"I see... and yet, the very first sword you took was from a dead man. You _do_ know that Zabuza was the only Swordsman that had a sword lacking a special power? Atamahocho's only unique factor is its head-cleaving notch."

"That won't deter me!" Suigetsu exclaimed.

"I admire your determination. It will be a difficult task, you know. Most of the swords are in Genji's possession. And I doubt you can take on the Mist's Raging Storm."

"I won't let that stop me!" Suigetsu shouted as he summoned a burst of strength to overpower Kisame. Kisame had a brief look of shock as Suigetsu swung Atamahocho horizontally in an attempt to make a large gash across Kisame's mid-torso. Kisame twisted his arms to block Suigetsu's strike at the last moment. Kisame leaped back as he grinned with excitement.

"Show me what you've got, rookie!" Kisame yelled as he ran forward and swung Samehada at Suigetsu, who raised his sword to block it. The blow was fiercer than he expected, and his arm snapped as it turned into water and splashed all over him. The water then reformed itself and transformed back into an arm as he regripped his sword with both hands.

"Well, that's a new trick," Kisame remarked as he began trading blows with Suigetsu. Most of the attacks were blocked, but a few strikes managed to nick Suigetsu, and he felt his chakra being leeched from him. Kisame's strength was also a bit too much for him... he needed extra water! He then remembered the dome around Jugo and Karin!

Suigetsu retreated and placed Atamahocho's hilt in his mouth. He gripped it tight with his fangs and continued to run from Kisame as he made his arms turn into liquid state. The water rushed over to the water dome, drained it all, and rushed back to Suigetsu. The water reformed as massive muscular arms. He grabbed his sword and swung it at Kisame, who gasped and blocked it. The blow sent Kisame flying back from the immense force of the sword. Jugo ran towards Kisame, his arm transforming into a monstrous bludgeon.

"HOW _DARE_ YOU FIGHT DISHONORABLY!!!" Kisame roared in anger as he removed all of the bandages from Samehada. He cut deep into Jugo, the scales sharp enough to pierce through his arm. The sword began sucking away Jugo's chakra at a massive rate, and he soon fell as a dead husk.

"An eye for an eye..." Kisame growled as he quickly summoned a large shark that bit into Suigetsu, making his entire body dissipate and splash everywhere. The shark vanished, and Kisame slammed Samehada on the ground, and it began to leech the chakra on the ground itself, also drawing Suigetsu's liquid state towards the scaled blade. The sword effortlessly sucked up all of Suigetsu, along with making most of the plantlife in the general vicinity die. The sword "coughed" up a hefty amount of water: no doubt the chakra-less remains of Suigetsu in a liquid state. Kisame quickly rebandaged the sword as he walked towards a shocked and cowering Karin.

Kisame said nothing as he picked up Karin by the collar of her shirt, a manic grin plastered on his face. Karin was paralyzed with fear as the shark man walked over to a nearby pit.

"I _knew_ I smelled something rotten..." Kisame said as he gazed down into the pit. Karin turned her head, and she was shocked even more by what she saw.

The fifteen foot deep pit, created by one of the bombs from that Akatsuki man, still had a few of the zombies inside of it. They were moaning and reaching out for her. Apparently that woman's fire jutsu didn't kill any zombies that stumbled into these pits.

"It looks like they're hungry," Kisame said with inhuman cruelty.

"P-please, don't!" Karin pleaded, her voice almost inaudible. Kisame made no indication of hearing her as he let go.

Karin began to scream as soon as she started falling. She fell right on top of the few undead, and they began digging into her with their teeth. Kisame watched the scene with morbid fascination, and soon the redheaded girl was one of the undead, mindlessly reaching for Kisame.

"Fascinating... this jutsu is simply fascinating..." Kisame said, but he then turned away with disgust, "What's getting into me? This is something _Genji_ would enjoy..." he added, saying 'Genji' with extreme disgust. He then heard a large boom, and looked over towards to noise to see a large toad and scorpion facing off against a dragon.

"Hehehe... Otoshi sure has a lot of surprises in him," Kisame chuckled as he suddenly remembered that he needed to check if Kenokami was still alive. He walked over to the forests, leaving behind the pit of zombies.

* * *

Itachi soon stopped in an area with many buildings. Sasuke also stopped as he unsheathed his Kusanagi sword and took a stance.

"...Do you recognize this place, Sasuke?" Itachi asked him. Sasuke looked around the area, and his bit his lip as he realized where he was.

"That's right. We're at the Uchiha district. I thought it would be a fitting place, seeing as how one of us will die here today," Itachi continued.

"So... are you going to tell me?" Sasuke asked, his voice in a quiet rage. His hands were gripping his sword's hilt so tightly that was knuckles were white.

"Tell you what?" Itachi asked as he stared intently at Sasuke.

"WHY YOU KILLED THEM!?" Sasuke screamed, throwing his arms out to indicate the Uchiha district.

"Only if you can prove yourself, little brother. If you can show me you have the potential to take my life, then I will tell you everything."

Sasuke roared in bestial anger as he darted forward with immense speed and thrusted his sword at Itachi's gut. Itachi merely sidestepped the stab, pulled out a kunai, and made a nonlethal cut on Sasuke's arm. He then leaped backward and looked at Sasuke.

"If this is all you have... then I will only need to use this kunai to kill you," Itachi said.

Sasuke ignored Itachi's scornful comment as he turned to face him. He fired a few chidori needles at Itachi, who oddly ran towards Sasuke. The needles struck him, and Sasuke knew what was coming. Sasuke body flickered backwards as the crow clone of Itachi exploded. Sasuke saw a slight movement in the corner of his eye, and he turned around and threw a few ninja tools at Itachi, who was now on a roof. He swiped his kunai about and knocked all of the ninja tools out of the air. He then made a single hand seal and threw a couple of fireballs at Sasuke. He dashed away from them, but they followed him. Thinking quickly, Sasuke undid the purple sash around his waist and he tossed it at the homing fireballs, which burned the sash up.

Sasuke then fired a chidori laser at Itachi's heart, and Itachi simply leaped down the building to dodge the attack. He threw the kunai at Sasuke, who smacked it away with his sword. He then channeled a chidori through the sword and yelled as he ran towards Itachi and aimed a slash at him. Itachi let himself be cut, and the genjutsu faded as the actual Itachi darted from an alleyway and stabbed Sasuke's back with a kunai. That genjutsu faded as the actual Sasuke countered with a similar move, but Itachi whirled around and blocked Sasuke's stab with the kunai, the two blades scraping against each other, sending a shower of sparks flying.

"You are still an amateur in comparison to me, Sasuke," Itachi said, "you _have_ improved from our last encounter, but so have I."

Sasuke growled and spit on Itachi's face as the two were locked in a struggle to overpower the other. Itachi removed a hand from the kunai's grip and wiped the spit from his face, and Itachi's grip was still at the same strength!

"I see you now possess an ample amount of hate, Sasuke," Itachi said with a small smirk, "but now you need to learn _how_ to use the hate, and you won't be able to learn this time, brother."

"All I need to do is to _kill you!_" Sasuke screamed as he withdrew his sword, letting Itachi cut into his chest. Sasuke then made a deep cut on Itachi's right shoulder, and he winced as he punched Sasuke in the face and pushed away Sasuke's blade.

"How reckless," Itachi scolded Sasuke as he made hand seals and blew a giant fireball at Sasuke. Sasuke countered with the same jutsu, and the two flames were locked in a struggle. A smirk formed on Itachi's face as he added more power into the fireball. Itachi's fireball easily overpowered Sasuke and consumed him in flame, but the clone of Sasuke vanished.

"Well, at least I know I have enough so that you have to use jutsu against me," Sasuke said as he jumped from a rooftop and aimed his sword at Itachi's neck. Itachi spun around the kunai and parried the attack without turning his head.

"Consider it getting caught up in the moment," Itachi said as he delivered a kick to Sasuke's gut, "you should have brought your friend here... you could definitely use the help. Although I doubt it would help you much."

"**SHUT UP!!!**" Sasuke screamed in fury as Orochimaru's curse seal activated itself and forced Sasuke into his second form. Itachi eyed it with disgust as Sasuke ran forward, charging a chidori in his hand. Itachi grabbed Sasuke's wrist to stop his attack, but this time, Sasuke extended the chidori's range, nailing Itachi in the stomach. Itachi bit his lip as Sasuke grinned madly and stabbed Itachi with his sword. Itachi spat up some blood as he thought of a way out of the current situation. He made some hand seals and several chakra crows appeared and started fluttering around Sasuke and pecking him. Sasuke had to bat the crows away, letting Itachi escape from Sasuke's grip.

Itachi took this chance to dart forward and grip Sasuke's neck tightly. The crows dissipated, and Sasuke's hand wings clapped together over Itachi, but he ignored the immense pain they caused as the curse seal receded, leaving a normal Sasuke struggling for air.

Itachi shook his head, "You're pathetic. I didn't even need to use my mangekyo on you," he said. Sasuke continued to struggle, but it was futile, "goodbye, brother."

Itachi let go of Sasuke, the lifeless body falling to the ground. Itachi turned away and shed a lone tear for his little brother.

"...I'm sorry, Sasuke," he said, "but you were too weak to kill Madara... I was a fool to spare you that night."

Itachi heard footsteps, and he turned to see Kisame walking towards him.

"I disposed of Sasuke's comrades," said Kisame as he looked at Itachi, "Why so glum?"

He then saw Sasuke's corpse.

"Oh... nevermind, then. And some bad news: Kenokami died."

Itachi closed his eyes and brushed a bang out of his head as he sighed, "That's not good. Pain won't like that a bijuu has died."

"Huh? You seem awfully calm for something so catastrophic to our cause," Kisame said with mild amusement.

Itachi made a small smile, "The same could be said to you, my friend."

"C'mon, tell me! What do you know that I don't?"

Itachi's face returned to its normal state as he looked back at the three summons doing battle, "Let's just say that... I have faith everything will turn out fine."

Kisame seem confused, but he did not question further. Whenever Itachi was like this, the answer would only reveal itself in time. The summons elsewhere in the village began to fight, creating a chaotic din. Large elemental blasts of all types flew around the village amidst the fighting of the large creatures, and the very village shook with every blow dealt.

"You know... you're the last Uchiha, Itachi."

Nothing was said as the summons raged their battle against each other.

"Come, Kisame. Let us leave," Itachi said. Kisame sighed and began to exit the village with him.

* * *

Twelve minutes had passed, and the three summons were already weakened due to their battling. They were currently facing each other, their summoners formulating their next plans. So far, the match had been pretty even due to the dragon's ability to switch elemental breath, but Gamabunta and Jirigo both combined had at least one jutsu of every element as a counter.

"I'm going to end this once and for all!" Yamato called out as he conjured up massive roots. The roots approached to restrain Masamune, but the dragon smirked as he torched to approaching wood with a jet of flame.

"He's distracted! NOW!" Jiraiya shouted as Gamabunta began welling up a large amount of oil in his mouth. Bankou nodded as he commanded Jirigo to launch a large jet of air at Masamune. At this point, Gamabunta spat out the oil, and Jiraiya blew flame to ignite the oil. The resulting toad flame connected with Jirigo's air blast, which propelled the toad flame at great speeds towards Masamune.

Otoshi quickly made Masamune spit out a jet of water in an attempt to counter the flame, but it was futile. Masamune's eyes widened as the toad flame powered through his water blast and hit him full on. The dragon roared in pain as he vanished in a puff of smoke, his sword form falling to the ground. Otoshi swooped down and caught the sword with the last of the strength from his curse seal stage, which receded back into the seal. Otoshi fell a few feet to the ground and shakily stood up, ignoring the immense pain from his burn wounds. Gamabunta and Jirigo let the people atop them hop off before they unsummoned themselves, as they knew they were not needed anymore.

Otoshi panted as he could feel the six survivors staring at him. He was exhausted, and it already took all of his willpower just to stand due to the burns from his ultimate jutsu. He was not used to the pain, since Masamune and his curse seal nulled the pain, but now it was hitting him full-force. He wouldn't be able to move his arms that much, either, since they, too, were burned as well.

"It looks like I have no choice..." Otoshi muttered to himself as he shakily reached for his headband. Naruto's eyes widened as he sprinted forward to stop Otoshi from controlling them with his Ryuukugan. It all seemed to go in slow motion as Naruto charged forward. Otoshi touched his headband, but Naruto was still several feet away. Otoshi began dragging his headband down...

Otoshi cried out as he spat up blood. Naruto stopped in his tracks.

Otoshi's right hand was bleeding, for Masamune had been forcefully pulled out of his hand, allowing the blade to scrape against it. The sword was currently sticking out of his chest, and Madara was clutching the sword. He removed it from Otoshi's chest, and the homunculus fell down, dead until his grievous wounds could heal (which would no doubt take a few days).

Madara clicked his tongue as he eyed the bloodied blade, "Masamune cannot be summoned again... what a shame that this man couldn't use my sword correctly. Oh well, at least it is once more in its rightful owner's hands," said Madara.

"H-How?" Jiraiya asked, his face showing his shock. No doubt the other five shared similar looks.

"For my continued existence, some... _sacrifices_ had to be made..." Madara proclaimed as he brushed the hair covering the right half of his face out of the way, revealing its decaying state. The skin was a clammy gray, and the decay extended down his neck. It was unknown how far the decay extended, but his visible right hand was also in the same corpse-like hue. Madara sheathed Masamune and summoned his basho fan, which he promptly grabbed.

"You... you commanded the zombies to attack us, didn't you?" Naruto growled.

Madara sadistically grinned, confirming Naruto's question. Naruto became enraged even further, but he controlled himself. This man was directly or indirectly responsible for most of the deaths here, including Sakura!

"Konoha and its rule from the Senjus will fall today, and the Uchihas will rise from its ashes and rule the country, and eventually the entire ninja world!" Madara psychotically proclaimed, his amulet swishing to and fro with each gesture made by the former Uchiha leader.

_This is it..._ Shikamaru grimly thought as he eyed the swinging amulet, _...the final battle._


	30. Chapter 30: Death

The Necromancer, Chapter 30:

Bankou acted first by making several hand seals. The earth around Madara rose up and moved to crush him, but Madara swung his basho fan in a wide circle, the chakra-infused winds scattering the earth around. Gaara acted upon Madara's brief window of being unable to swing the fan to fire a few sand needles at him. They successfully hit his right side, but he showed no signs of pain. Gaara cursed under his breath as he remembered that his right side was decaying and thus wouldn't feel anything.

Jiraiya was debating whether or not to summon Fukasaku and Shima to achieve his most powerful form. He glanced back at Yamato, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Hinata. "Yamato, I know you must be exhausted from using those massive roots against that dragon... take the other three to a safe place nearby," he ordered. Yamato nodded and did so. Jiraiya fell back and made the summoning hand seals. The two toad sages appeared upon his shoulders.

"Why would you just summon us without-" Shima began, but Jiraiya simply pointed towards Madara. The two toad sages appeared to pale as they saw him and their surroundings.

"I... don't know exactly what happened here... but we'll definitely help you, boy," Fukasaku said as they began focusing, drawing in natural energy, which soon showed its effects on Jiraiya by making him more toad-like in appearance.

Bankou made several hand seals, which made the large earthen dragon that Qian Fu had used earlier fly towards Madara. He then made a similar move by raising a protective earthen wall, which shielded them from the shrapnel of the exploding dragon. He then made the earthen wall move forwards. The earthen wall was cleaved through, showing a battered Madara holding a large kusarigama that was part of his basho fan.

Jiraiya then blitzed forward with immense speed and slammed his fist into Madara's gut, sending him flying high in the sky. He jumped up and met him in the air with a powerful axe kick that sent him slamming into the ground. Madara effortlessly stood back up and grabbed Jiraiya's fist, which was inches away from his face. The blow sent both of them sliding back quite a distance.

Gaara was about to intervene, but Bankou held him back.

"Don't... Jiraiya's on a whole other level with that technique. We'd be hindrances to him," Bankou said, "but if Madara tries to attack us or Jiraiya begins to falter, by all means attack him." Gaara reluctantly nodded as he stood and watched the battle along with Bankou.

* * *

Yamato had swiftly grabbed Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata as soon as Jiraiya ordered him to take the three someplace safe. He did a lot of confusing movements to throw off Madara if he was watching. Finally, they stopped behind a nearby building. They could hear the fight, but they dare not looked at the fight from behind the building just in case Madara was feeling malicious. And there was a very high chance of that.

Naruto appeared lost in thought. He chuckled sadly as he said, "It certainly has been a funny three days, hasn't it?"

The group frowned at this statement, and Naruto soon began to cry as he recalled the Kyuubi's words that everyone would die in this village. It was coming true. Hinata went over to comfort her love.

"Don't give up hope," Shikamaru said, oddly calm. The three turned to look at him.

"I analyzed Otoshi's fighting style and Madara so far. I did little in the fight with Otoshi since he was too fast for my shadows to be of any assistance, but I noted that Otoshi's fighting style was a very reckless one. I hypothesized that Otoshi would lose by exhaustion or distraction, and he lost by both of those. Madara obviously used some sort of jutsu that ties in with the zombies to save his life. He's decaying, and he doesn't have long before the decay consumes him," he said.

He then continued, "So far, my first theory was correct and my second one will likely occur. I'm not sad... I've regained hope all because I recalled something. That something was Jiraiya's explanation of Madara's amulet. It definitely contains Madara's source of power. If one of us could obtain it... we could restore the dead for certain."

"R-Really?" Naruto asked in awe. Shikamaru frowned.

"It's just a theory..." he said, slightly aggravated that what he's hoping for might not work.

There was a long period of no conversation. The only noises able to be heard were those of the raging fight close by. They then saw Madara and Jiraiya sliding forward, Madara having caught Jiraiya's fist. Madara then retaliated by tossing Jiraiya towards the very building Naruto, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Yamato were near. Jiraiya maneuvered in the air and kicked off of the building, sending himself flying towards Madara. Madara sidestepped Jiraiya's attempted blow, but some natural energy extended from his fist, making his blow true. The four near the building retreated towards Bankou and Gaara.

"What's going on? Why does Jiraiya look so weird?" Naruto asked.

"That's his sage mode..." Bankou said, "...Jiraiya's on a whole other level compared to us. We're about to witness a battle of Kage-level opponents..."

Madara easily recovered from the blow to his face as he made some hand seals and casted a jutsu that sent a large arc of flame outwards. Jiraiya leaped over the flame and shot his hair at Madara, his chakra making the strands of hair razor-sharp. Madara placed his palms against the ground and brought up a wall of earth to shield against the hair needles. Jiraiya formed a rasengan empowered by natural energy. Naruto watched in awe as the massive orb was slammed into the earthen wall, blowing it apart. Madara growled as he swung his basho fan, which sent Jiraiya flying back. As Jiraiya was in a brief state of helplessness, Madara imbued his fire chakra into his kusarigama. The head of the sickle was encased in a massive aura of flame, and Madara charged towards Jiraiya.

"Well, you know what they say... fight fire with fire!" Jiraiya shouted. The toad sages nodded as Jiraiya built up oil in his mouth. At his cue, Fukasaku breathed fire while Shima shot out a gust of wind. Jiraiya then spat out the oil, and the three materials combined into an explosive burst of flame. Madara growled as he made a dome of earth surround him for protection, but the flames were unrelentlessly pounding the dome and making it incredibly hot to the point where the dome glowed with heat. Madara began making hand seals, and the chain of his kusarigama began to hover...

Jiraiya watched the dome intently. He was wondering how long Madara would hold up in there before the heat would become too great. He was taken aback as Madara's sickle flew towards him, the head of it imbued with electricity. Jiraiya and the two toads stopped their exhalation of the elements as he tried to dodge, but the sickle made a deep cut on his left side. He winced as Madara burst out of the dome and ran towards Jiraiya with a lance of lightning chakra in his hands. Shima took a deep breath and expelled a large burst of air at the ground, which shot up the dust in the area. Madara's sharingan let him charge through the dust cloud and strike at Jiraiya, but Fukasaku fired another burst of wind at the lightning lance, which made the lightning chakra falter. Madara sported a manic grin as he poured more of his chakra into the lance, causing it to remain. He stabbed at Jiraiya, nailing him in the chest.

The spectators of the battle cried out as Jiraiya was injured, and Gaara yelled in raged as he emptied the contents of his sand gourd. The huge wave of sand rushed towards Madara, who spun around and simply blew it away with a few waves of his basho fan. Jiraiya took advantage of Madara's distracted state as the toad sages summoned a mighty toad sword wielded by past hermit masters. Madara grunted as Jiraiya made a large slash on Madara's back. Madara was about to counter, but Gaara manipulated the sand on the ground to rise up and rush at the Uchiha madman once more. Jiraiya ran out of the way as the sand slammed into Madara.

Moods were lifted as the sands shifted about and muffled screams were heard from within. They were quickly squelched as a bloodied hand shot from the sand and Madara clawed his way out of the sand. He was in a battered state, and a few broken bones were sticking out of his rotting body. His chest was mostly bare, his cloak mere tatters above his waist. The decay had spread significantly to his torso and arms. Madara stared directly at Gaara, and his sharingan eyes shifted into a new shape. The others gasped in shock as Gaara was suddenly hit by a tremendous genjutsu. He began to scream loudly as whatever he was seeing tormented his mind.

"Okuninushi... my brother's Mangekyo technique... a potent genjutsu that lets you manipulate the victim's dreams, nightmares, and fears..." Madara sadistically said as Gaara began to thrash about in terror. Yamato growled as he stepped in front of Gaara and made hand seals. Several roots emerged from the ground and headed towards Madara, whose eyes widened at the sight of the roots. His teeth clenched in anger.

"FUCKING SENJU!!!" he shrieked as black flames shot out of his right eye, causing it to bleed. The raven flames engulfed Gaara and Yamato.

"NOOO!!!" Jiraiya and Bankou simultaneously yelled as they ran to each other. They both began making a series of hand seals, and Bankou finished his first. The earth rose up into a massive cone that encased his right arm. Shima made a gust of wind that made the cone turn about and spiral continuously, and Jiraiya and Fukasaku made an oil flame blast that burnt groves into the cone, making it a massive drill. Bankou screamed in rage as he ran towards Madara, aiming the massive drill at him. Jiraiya ran at Madara as well, his toad sword becoming encased in an aura of natural energy. Madara was about to dodge, but he couldn't move. He growled as his head shot towards Shikamaru, whom had used his shadow jutsu to bind Madara in place. He fired two blasts of Amaterasu in quick succession.

Naruto and Hinata screamed in horror as the black flames consumed Shikamaru, Jiraiya, and Bankou. Madara laughed maniacally as the flames continued to burn.

"I DID IT!!!" he madly proclaimed, "I have ended Konoha and the last of the Senjus! The Uchiha can now reign supreme!"

"YOU'RE DEMENTED! INSANE!" Naruto yelled, his voice hoarse from the sudden burst of volume from his throat. Hinata buried her face into Naruto's shoulder and began to bawl onto it. Naruto, even more enraged by the severity of Hinata's sorrow, continued, "EVEN _IF_ THE UCHIHAS WERE REBORN, THEY WOULD NEVER FOLLOW AN INSANE MADMAN!"

Madara stopped his insane laughter as his face became blank. He slowly turned towards Naruto and stared at him with wide eyes.

_They never followed me after that point... the Uchihas saw me as a madman ever since my visions of conquest,_ he thought, remembering the sorrow and hate that came from the scorn of the very clan he was supposed to lead. Madara's mouth twitched back and forth between an insane smile and a clenched mouth. He suddenly appeared behind the two.

He quickly seized Hinata and forcefully wrenched her away from Naruto. He held her tightly as he unsheathed Masamune with one hand, placing the blade at her throat. He took a few steps away from Naruto, who was paralyzed with fear.

"Heheh... your words..." Madara said, his face and voice layered with madness and insanity, "...mean NOTHING! I'll... give you two choices."

Madara seemed to compose himself. He sadistically grinned as he continued, "You can surrender to me, or you can attack me and lose your love in the process. What will it be?"

Naruto began shaking with fear and worry as he contemplated what was happening. He was dealing with someone whose mental state had been shattered long ago. He didn't know what to do! He was completely cornered. Madara chuckled lightly, making Naruto bite his lip and clench his fist tightly to suppress his rage. Hinata stared at Naruto with wide, crying eyes as she awaited his decision.

Naruto began to cry. He had only one choice. He swallowed his pride and rage as he fell to his knees and lowered his head.

"Please... spare her. Hinata's all I have left now! She means everything to me! I will do whatever you want me to do, no matter how much I detest it... just as long as she is okay..." Naruto shamefully begged Madara. He raised his head to see Madara housing a manic look of sadistic ecstasy and Hinata showing a tear-stained look that showed that she was equally shocked and touched by Naruto's words.

Madara cackled lightly, "Good... that's what I wanted you to do. Good, good, good indeed."

Naruto stood up as he wiped some tears from his face, "Well? I'm your slave now, so let her go! You promised!" he demanded, his voice and face filled with sorrow.

Madara madly laughed, "I promised _nothing_ about this girl except that she would die if you attacked me..." a wicked smile appeared on his face. Naruto gasped in a sudden realization as horror filled him. He moved to act, his mind only focusing on saving Hinata... he _couldn't_ lose her!

Madara dropped Masamune as he formed an orb of yellow gas in his hands.

"I _was_ going to kill her, but this will be _much_ more fun..." he said lowly as he pressed the ball against Hinata's face. Hinata began to cough as she unwillingly breathed in the zombie gas. Madara shoved her towards Naruto, and he caught her. Madara watched the scene that would unfold, his face plastered with an unexplainable mixture of mania and insanity.

Naruto stared down at Hinata with horror as she continued to cough, a small amount of blood being spat up as well. She looked up at Naruto with teary eyes, and she mouthed "I love you... please, run..." as she became limp in his arms. Images of their short time together, along with her life, flashed through Naruto's mind as his heart wrenched with agony. First Sakura, now Hinata...

"No..." Naruto said quietly in disbelief, "no, no, no, no, no, no, _no, no,_ **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!**"

He felt his arms lose all strength as Hinata fell against the ground. He heard her moan lightly as she began to get up. She turned towards him, revealing that her eyes were now the same soulless white... she was just another zombie now. He tried to run, but his legs collapsed on themselves, and he scrambled away from her in fear as she approached...

* * *

Her eyes opened. _Where am I? What's going on? I... I am... hungry. Yes, hungry. Need to eat._ She smelled prey nearby. She stood up and turned towards the meat.

_That boy... yellow hair. Why so familiar? I... I want him with me. Eat him so we can be same._ She approached, expressing her hunger with small moans. The boy just scrambled away.

_Why he cry? Why he run? ...I don't understand. What wrong with me? Why I make him sad? I... want to make happy._

_But... hungry... so hungry... must... eat..._

_He be happy if we be same. Must eat._

* * *

His back was now against the wall of a building as the second woman he loved, his true love, slowly shuffled towards him. Hundreds of feelings were flowing through his mind in an ungodly din. But Hinata continued to approach him, ignoring the immense pain he felt. His eyes frantically scanned all over her, noticing minute details he would not have noticed before. She was now a few feet from him, a few inches...

Naruto closed his eyes in fear as tears jetted from his eyes, but instead of the sharp pain of a bite, he felt a gentle caress. He opened his eyes to see that the zombified Hinata was wiping the tears from his eyes, making moans so soft that they sounded soothing. Her hands gently flowed down his face and onto his shoulders. The feelings of her touch were suddenly thrown off as she tightly clutched his shoulder and lunged forward with a hungry moan. Naruto gasped as his body instinctively pushed her away.

She snarled as her attempts to bite into Naruto continued. Naruto's pushes weren't enough to break her grip she had on his shoulders, so he rolled over. Hinata was now underneath him, and he placed his foot on her chest. With a prompt shove from his foot, her fingers slipped from his shoulders. He was free.

But as she fell, her hands latched on to Naruto's leg and she began to gnaw and tear at the fabric of his pants. Naruto cried out as he involuntarily kicked at her head, knocking her away from him. He bit his lip as he knew what had to be done. He pulled out a kunai and walked over to her.

"I'm so, so, sorry, Hinata..." he said painfully as he closed his eyes and jammed the kunai into her skull. He fell to his knees afterward and began bawling in pain. Madara's mad laugher soon silenced that pain with rage. He had briefly forgotten that Madara was there, and his eyes shot open as he sprung up.

"Marvelous, _marvelous!_ That was such a wondrous moment!" he exclaimed.

Naruto ran forward, about to verbally and physically explode on Madara, but his mind flashed back to Hinata's odd actions. A revelation hit him at that moment with the force of a hurricane. He stopped his approach, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.

"You... son of a bitch..." Naruto swore, "those zombies still had fragments of their selves in them, didn't they?"

Madara's following laughter was all the confirmation he needed. This man made a monstrous jutsu that shattered the minds of people and loosely patched them together... and he had bred Reiko with hate, eventually causing her to lash out at Konoha in a desperate cry for acceptance. Everything that happened here was caused by something Madara had done. Rage filled Naruto. He wanted Madara to _die._

_**Such hate... I'd never expect it from someone like you,**_ the Kyuubi spoke up.

_WELL!? ARE YOU HAPPY!?! EVERYONE'S DEAD! I BET YOU'RE RELISHING IN JOY!!!_ Naruto snapped at the demon fox. A low sigh resonated throughout his mind.

_**That isn't the point. I just gave you a warning, kid. The point is the fact that we both despise this man with every fiber in our beings. I can feel your rage ready to tap into my power, but it won't be enough. I'm giving you a one-time deal, kid. I'll give you temporary access to much of my power, and I'll cage myself up afterward. How's that sound?**_ the Kyuubi offered.

_How do I know you're not lying, huh?_ Naruto asked.

_**Do you have a choice? At this point, I'll consume you regardless if you accept or not...**_

Naruto sighed as he grit his teeth and closed his eyes. He saw himself in front of the cage containing the demon fox. The fox's red chakra began seeping through the bars and enveloping Naruto...

_**I'll get vengeance against you, Madara. I am not the bitch of the Uchihas! I WILL NOT ACCEPT BEING USED!**_

Naruto screamed in primal anger as red chakra erupted from him. Madara gasped in horror as the bones of the fox formed and the chakra formed a thick, dark, red aura around Naruto that was at least three times his size. The bones began sprouting veins, which covered the chakra fox. Seven tails whirled about as a demonic growl came from Naruto's throat. The growl burst into a fierce roar, which demolished the immediate area and sent a large aura of destruction outwards. The aura began smashing all buildings within several hundred feet. Madara braced for the impact, which knocked him back heavily and wounded him further.

He stood up with a confident smirk on his face.

"Foolish mistake, boy! I can control bijuu with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!" Madara yelled triumphantly as he activated that ability. Nothing happened.

"H-How?" Madara asked. He then realized. The mangekyo can only control bijuus, not jinchuuriki. As long as the demon fox didn't manifest most of its body, his mangekyo would be useless.

Madara grit his teeth as he fired another Amaterasu at Naruto. The large chakra tails simply batted the black flames away. Madara was effectively immobilized by witnessing this.

"N...not possible!" he cried out as Naruto opened his mouth, a large ball of red chakra forming. Madara continued futilely firing more Amaterasus, causing his eyes to bleed even more; but the black flames were either batted away by the tails or absorbed into the fox's chakra.

Madara screamed in loss as the chakra ball Naruto was forming burst aflame and was fired as a beam towards Madara, whom was instantly incinerated. Madara's screams turned into those of pain as he died from the flames.

The chakra, veins, and bones surrounding Naruto dissipated as he collapsed from exhaustion. His eyes were fixated on Hinata's corpse, which had been pushed back several feet by the Kyuubi's roar. He began to cry as he closed his eyes to block out the horrible image he couldn't turn away from. Besides his frequent sobs, there were no other noises. The village was completely silent.

**"EVERYBODY'S DEEEEAAAAADDD!!!"** he screamed as he continued to cry until he fell asleep from exhaustion.


	31. Chapter 31: Revival

The Necromancer, Chapter 31:

Naruto was awoken by someone shaking him. He opened his eyes, his mind blurred by drowsiness, but he soon saw Shikamaru before him. He was confused, but Naruto soon cheered up slightly as he realized that it was actually Shikamaru!

"How... how did you survive?" he asked. He noted some burn wounds on him.

"I got lucky," Shikamaru said bluntly, "I managed to scramble away before the flames hit me. I'm terribly sorry for not intervening sooner, but I would be of no further use back there."

"It's okay..." Naruto sighed. He continued, "...I'm sure you know that everyone's... dead, right?"

"Come on, cheer up!" Shikamaru said with a grin. He raised his arm, showing that his hand was clenching the chain to Madara's amulet. Naruto had a look of disbelief as he gazed at the amulet, which appeared virtually unscathed by the Kyuubi's flames. A sense of joy soon overcame him. There was a chance everything could go back to normal!

"Can you feel that?" Shikamaru asked. Naruto was taken back by the ambiguity of Shikamaru's question, but he soon felt immense power radiating from the amulet. He nodded in confirmation. There was a moment of silence before Shikamaru spoke again.

"I've been thinking about the amulet while you were asleep, and I've arrived at a conclusion. This amulet contains Madara's necromantic powers; that's for sure. But also, I suspect that it's probably a sort of back up for Madara if he ends up dead. I'm going to put it on, and once I do, a sort of fragment of Madara will probably fight for control."

Naruto frowned, "That sounds too risky."

"I don't like it, either, but it's really the only shot we have at saving everyone." Shikamaru took a deep breath, "Ready a kunai, Naruto. If I put this on and don't act normal in a bit, I want you to kill me."

"I... fine. There's no use in arguing," Naruto said. He looked around, noticing a few missing things, "...Where are the corpses?"

"I buried Hinata for you. I removed Madara's amulet and fell asleep afterward. Once I woke up, Otoshi and Madara's corpses were nowhere to be found..." Shikamaru said, "...but that's not our concern at this time. Are you ready, Naruto? I'm going to put this on..."

Naruto bit his lip in anxiousness as he nodded. "Good luck," said Naruto.

"Thanks," Shikamaru smiled as he looked at the ethereal, unnatural black crystal. He closed his eyes, took another deep breath, and slipped the amulet around his neck...

* * *

He opened his eyes after an odd, momentary sensation. He was definitely inside the amulet, that was for sure. The realm was completely dark, the only light coming from thousands of floating ethereal flames of every color under the sun. The landscape was smooth and flat as far as the eye could see. A few rock slabs floated about in the air, rotating upon some unseen force.

"So my amulet survived," Shikamaru heard an all-too-familiar voice say. Shikamaru turned around to see a visage of Madara standing there. He looked just like he had looked before the decay had set in, but there was something... off... about his appearance. Perhaps he was paler than usual? As one of the floating flames passed behind Madara, he realized that he was partially transparent.

"So my theory was correct," Shikamaru said aloud.

"Apparently so. I assume you know what will happen now," said Madara. Shikamaru nodded before asking a question.

"This amulet... what exactly does it contain?"

"It holds most of the power I draw upon. Most of my crafted jutsu required an enormous amount of chakra to use. To make a solution to that problem and the problem of growing old, I made the amulet as a container," Madara explained.

"A container? For what?" Shikamaru asked.

Madara threw his arms outward, indicating the floating lights, "Those flames, my newest vessel, are human souls!"

Shikamaru was taken aback as Madara chuckled. He shrugged off Madara's barbarism as he was filled with a renewed sense of vigor.

"I'm going to defeat this spectre of you... and I'll use this incredible power to bring everybody back!" Shikamaru boasted.

Madara laughed, "If it required me several _decades_ to perfect my jutsu, some punk kid like you couldn't even _hope_ to pull off something like that!"

Shikamaru did not listen to Madara's comment as he formed the seal to extend his shadow to Madara's. Madara was caught off-guard as a shadowy hand slithered up Madara's body and seized his neck. Madara scoffed as he easily fended off the hand. He then pointed at Shikamaru, and a powerful lightning blast burst from his fingertips. Shikamaru quickly dodged it and cursed under his breath as he realized that Madara would easily be able to use any jutsu of his in this realm with little effort. The landscape was flat and featureless, too, so none of his tricks would work against Madara!

He panicked as he dodged another lightning blast. He was practically defenseless, and Madara was just toying with him! How could he _possibly_ win? He then realized that the answer was all around him. The souls! They had energy within them, and there was no doubt that they would lend their energies to the one fighting to free them. He dodged another lightning blast and threw a few smoke bombs, not thinking about the physics behind the fact that his smoke bombs had also transferred into this realm.

Once smoke shrouded the area, Shikamaru made the hand seal and extended his shadow out into a soul. The moment it made contact with the spectral flame, Shikamaru felt a surge of memories and emotions from a girl. Every moment of the girl's life flashed before his eyes, with the girl's accompanying feelings. The entire content of this girl's being then faded from Shikamaru's mind as soon as it had entered. Shikamaru was suddenly enraged as he gazed at all of the twinkling lights nearby and in the far distance. How could someone willingly enslave the very essence that made a person unique?

After drawing some energy from the soul, he let it go and he pointed at Madara, who now spotted him through the clearing smoke. A radiant energy beam fired from his finger and nailed Madara in the chest, knocking him down. Madara cursed at Shikamaru as he stood up, raging flames in his eyes. He placed his hands against the ground, and the entire area began to shake as massive whirling cyclones of fire burst out of the ground and rushed at Shikamaru. There was no way he would be able to dodge that jutsu...

_I'm sorry. everyone... I failed..._ he thought as he closed his eyes in shame. He had now added the entire village to the list of people he had failed... Naruto and Temari, too. He smirked as he thought to himself, _...it looks like I'm the world's biggest fuck-up..._ He heard the flames getting closer and closer...

The roar of the flames persisted, but nothing happened. Shikamaru opened his eyes to witness a wondrous sight.

They flame cyclones were being held off by a spiritual barrier powered by none other than a ghostly figure of Asuma! Shikamaru saw that Madara was just as dumbstruck as he was.

Asuma chuckled as he taunted Madara, "Well, it looks like you didn't expect _this_ to happen, did you? Maybe you should have researched just a _bit_ more."

"I understand..." Shikamaru said, piecing things together, "...everyone killed by Akatsuki is transferred to this amulet!"

Asuma nodded as he glanced back at Shikamaru, "That's right. It was pretty clever on Madara's part to make such a seal and place it on all of the Akatsuki. So, how's my wife?"

Shikamaru bowed his head in shame as he heard the question.

"She'll be fine once you bring everyone back, right?" Asuma asked with a fatherly grin.

Shikamaru glanced up, replying, "Of course, sensei!"

"That's my boy! I'm proud of you, Shikamaru... you've always been like a son to me," Asuma said. He grinned and gave Shikamaru a thumbs up, "Everybody else has got your back."

The barrier had held off the flaming cyclones long enough for them to die down, and it dispersed along with Asuma. Shikamaru was rejuvenated by Asuma's appearance, and he knew what he meant by "everybody else has got your back." Shikamaru began extending his shadow and making it split into several branches. The shadows grabbed as many souls as they could. The memories and emotions of several people flooded through Shikamaru's mind as he drew upon their power. Madara's eyes widened in terror as he futilely blasted several jutsu at Shikamaru, but the energy of the people protected Shikamaru every time. Shikamaru then began giving off an ominous aura of the collected power of the souls.

"How... HOW IS THIS HAPPENING!?!" Madara yelled as Shikamaru unleashed an almighty swirling energy beam towards the spectre of Madara, which was instantly destroyed by the blast. Shikamaru smiled. He had won! The amulet, and everything within it, was now his! He closed his eyes and thought of the actual world...

* * *

The same momentary sensation that had sucked him inside the amulet's realm occurred as he returned to the actual world. He opened his eyes.

"Are you Shikamaru?" Naruto asked boldly, with a twinge of fear in his face. Shikamaru took no time to confirm his identity as he suddenly embraced Naruto tightly. Tears were in his eyes.

"I did it! Everyone can be brought back, Naruto! The people of the village are safe!" Shikamaru exclaimed joyfully. Naruto's face lit up as he cheered along with Shikamaru.

"But... how?" Naruto asked, curious as to what happened during the time Shikamaru closed his eyes.

"This amulet contains Madara's source of power and youth: human souls. Madara used some sort of jutsu on the Akatsuki so that anytime they killed someone, their souls would be transferred to this amulet," Shikamaru explained.

"That means that everyone killed by the events here are in that amulet!" Naruto ecstatically exclaimed.

"Yeah! And with the surplus amounts of chakra in here, I could also easily reform their bodies by reverting... well, ashes for the most part, back into their original state. We've saved everyone, Naruto! Ever..y..." Shikamaru said, his voice trailing off.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Asuma... he saved me in there. He dispersed away along with the barrier he made to protect me with. He sacrificed himself forever to save me..." Shikamaru said. He looked up with a courageous look; "I'll honor his sacrifice forever. Everyone will know of his heroism!"

Naruto nodded in agreement. Asuma truly was a great man to give up his spirit to save Shikamaru.

"Alright, Naruto... I'm going to do it now. I'm going to bring everyone back," Shikamaru said. Naruto nodded, anxious at the process. Shikamaru closed his eyes and began to focus and focus, forming the hand shape he did when he was intently concentrating.

Something suddenly dawned on Shikamaru. At this moment, he was the judge of everyone residing within that amulet. He couldn't save _everyone,_ he was sure of that... but he could also selectively resurrect people. He ignored the temptations as he filtered away the souls of the people outside of this village and those who were evil... no, that wasn't the proper term... those who were corrupt in some manner. He thought of villagers that were killed before this incident... that was their time. This however... the zombie attack was a freak occasion. He had then filtered all of the souls of the victims of the zombie attack, including Kenokami and Reiko. He knew that they had realized their mistakes. He then began to draw upon the souls and the energy of the amulet. The souls of those killed in this incident would be resurrected, while all of the other souls would be freed from their imprisonment within this amulet.

Naruto intently observed Shikamaru. Nothing happened at first, but the amulet soon started to hover, as if an unseen updraft was lifting it. It then began to glow as chakra seeped out of Shikamaru. More and more chakra burst out of Shikamaru until he was a radiant white beacon with a majestic aura of blue surrounding him. Naruto saw hundreds of multicolored flames shoot out of the amulet and into the sky, where they fizzled out, passing into the great beyond. A second series of flames shot out of the amulet and spread over the village. He watched in awe as ashes and charred bones orbiting around souls hovered into a certain aura and assumed a human shape. Each figure had a flare of chakra envelop them, and they were normal again. Skin, clothes... everything. They looked at themselves in amazement as little by little the people of the village were brought back.

"YOU DID IT, SHIKAMARU! YOU DID IT!!!" Naruto screamed in joy as he jumped up and down, "EVERYONE'S COMING BACK, AND IT'S ALL THANKS TO YOU!"

The massive aura around Shikamaru dwindled until there was nothing left. He had emptied the amulet's content, and he, too, watched the amulet's power work its magic as it brought back the villagers one by one. Shikamaru fell to his knees, and then he fully fell down. He smiled.

_I did it... I saved everyone..._ he thought as his eyes began to slowly close.

"SOMEONE! SHIKAMARU NEEDS TO BE HEALED!!!" he heard Naruto cry out in worry. He felt someone shake him, probably Naruto, but he was just so exhausted... he felt his breath fade away.

Naruto cried out as Shikamaru's pulse stopped.


	32. Chapter 32: Reborn

The Necromancer, Chapter 32:

Naruto and Hinata stood in front of a grave, their hands interlocked. Hinata laid a bouquet of flowers on the grave, their beauty being incorporated to the already large number of flowers around the grave. The moonlight made the entire area shrouded in an ethereal glaze.

"He was a true hero..." Hinata said quietly.

"Yeah... he willingly sacrificed himself to bring back everybody..." Naruto said, "...he truly deserves all of the honor of the village. I can't think of a better way to be buried than underneath the Hokage Mountain." Naruto looked up at the five stone faces above him. He felt Hinata slip her arms around him as she hugged him, and Naruto hugged back.

"Naruto!" he heard a woman call out. Naruto turned around to see Kenokami and Reiko in plain black garb.

"Hey, Reiko!" Naruto exclaimed.

"We're _very_ sorry for causing everything!" Kenokami and Reiko simultaneously said as they bowed their heads in shame. Naruto laughed and Hinata giggled at the coincidence.

"Come on, it's okay! This is the twentieth time you've apologized! You've realized your mistakes, Shikamaru could tell that since he brought you two back," Naruto said.

"I know, but..." Reiko sighed, "...it just isn't very easy to know that everything you did is still in the minds of the masses. The atrocities I committed are not erased from the minds of everyone... you, of all people, should know that."

Naruto's face became grim as brief flashes of the events passed through his head. His face the brightened, "It's okay, seriously!" he said, "Something like that couldn't ever happen again, with you two on our side and Madara dead."

"Naruto, I still don't know what happened involving these two..." Hinata chimed in.

"Oh, right!" Naruto exclaimed, "You were at your clan meeting, weren't you?" Hinata nodded to Naruto's question.

"Well... the public was told of everything. The outbreak, the two who caused it, and Madara," Reiko explained, "We publicly apologized, but he were 'exiled from the village. But in fact, we are hidden agents for Konoha. Our guilt is too great and our hearts too sympathetic to just become nomads... we wanted to help this village, and the village council let us, but in secret so that we would not anger the masses."

"Oh, I see," Hinata said indifferently. She was a bit shy around the two still.

Kenokami frowned, "Come on, we're good guys now! Don't be afraid of us!" he said, mistaking Hinata's shyness for fear. Hinata apologized and quickly explained herself. Reiko and Naruto laughed at the scenario while Hinata blushed and Kenokami moved his left arm around. Reiko briefly explained that Kenokami had lost that arm during the events a few days ago. The four then began to idly chat until the sun began to rise.

"Oh, look at the time! We have to leave before the people of the village wake up!" Reiko exclaimed. Naruto and Hinata waved goodbye as Kenokami and Reiko swiftly began to leave the village.

"Hey!" Naruto called out, "Don't worry! I'm sure the people will accept you over time!"

Reiko and Kenokami smiled at Naruto's words as they left.

* * *

Sakura yawned and stretched as her eyes opened. She sat in bed for a bit before her sleepiness faded. She got up and began her morning routine. Her mind was focusing on the recent events in the village, such as its reconstruction. The rebuilding effort was going along much faster than anybody expected, the proof of that being that she, a member of a simple family, had a new house.

After getting dressed, she stopped to stare out a window. The sun was rising, basking its radiant glow over the mostly rebuilt village. She was in awe at the beauty and significance of the scene. A new dawn for the village.

Unpleasant thoughts soon began to snake their way into her mind. People dying and becoming zombies, Naruto and Hinata kissing, and Naruto crying over her dying form. She turned away from the window as she thought of what happened yesterday...

_"Sasuke! Sasuke!" I called out as I ran over to him near the gates of the village. Everyone killed had been brought back miraculously after Shikamaru's brave sacrifice, even him! That glasses-wearing bitch stepped in my way again, but I wouldn't let her tell me what to do. She was promptly shoved to the ground as I walked up to the man I still had feelings for..._

_"What do you want?" he asked me with a harsh tone in his voice._

_"You're... leaving, aren't you?" I asked, a twinge of fear in my voice. Ever since he returned, part of me didn't want him to leave the village again._

_"We _are_ leaving, right, Sasuke?" the blue haired boy asked Sasuke, "I don't think I can deal with this place anymore."_

_"Yes, Suigetsu, we are leaving," Sasuke said. I felt a sharp twist in my chest as I heard those words._

_"No, you can't!" I shouted, tears forming in my eyes._

_"Hey, how _dare_ you push me down, you skank!" I heard the glasses-wearing bitch yell as she stood up behind me, but nothing happened. I assumed the big guy stopped her._

_"Are you completely blind to my purpose?" Sasuke asked me, his voice rising, "I'm doing this all for vengeance! You even heard everything before the zombies attacked! What wasn't perfectly clear about what I said back then!"_

_"I..." I began, but I couldn't finish. I began to cry... I knew he wasn't going to come back._

_A smirk appeared across Sasuke's face, "I see, you just can't accept it. Get. Over. It. I'm leaving this village forever. So, are you going to try and stop me, just like you tried to three years ago? Hm? Am I going to have to knock you out again? Or perhaps I should just kill you this time."_

_"Go..." I said quietly._

_"What was that?" Sasuke asked._

_Anger flared through me as my voice shot up, "I SAID GO! GET OUT OF HERE! LEAVE MY LIFE!" I screamed, my voice hoarse and tears running down my eyes._

_Sasuke just smirked as he and his three companions walked away from the village. I couldn't move away from that spot as I watched them slowly fade into the horizon._

* * *

Tenten knocked on a frame near the sliding door of the Hyuga clan building. As she waited for an answer, she fidgeted with her hair, and she was careful not to disturb the flowers she held behind her back. The door opened to reveal Hiashi.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Um... is... Neji t-there?" Tenten stammered, her face blushing. Small traces of a smile crept onto Hiashi's stoic face.

"Yes. Let me get him for you," Hiashi said as he walked off.

Tenten gulped as sweat trickled down her face. She was incredibly nervous at this moment. Oh, if only she wasn't so jittery! What if her sweat was smearing her makeup? Oh no! She had no mirror to check, either! She began to shift around in a panic confined within her body.

"Tenten?" she heard Neji ask. She yelped in surprise as her eyes gazed at the man she was going to confess her love for, "What are you here for?"

"Um..." Tenten said, clueless about what to say. Of course, she had memorized what to say, but in her panic she completely forgot all traces of what she was going to say.

"Iloveyoupleasetakeme!" she said in a rush as she shoved the flowers into Neji's hands. Neji seemed a bit lost as Tenten's face became a deep scarlet. A smile of amusement appeared on his face.

"Sure," he said. He was taken off-guard by Tenten's squeal of joy as she tackle hugged him to the ground, his face being covered by a swarm of kisses from Tenten.

* * *

Kurenai stroked her pregnant belly as she looked outside her window at the Hokage Mountain. Her mind was somewhere else... it had secluded itself from the world, thinking only of the two men that died to protect her and everyone else. A lone tear fell from her eye as she decided on a name for her unborn son: Asuma Shikamaru Yuhi. The tears then started flowing down her face as she lightly sobbed. She sorely missed Asuma... and now Shikamaru had died, too.

"Stop crying," a voice told her. Kurenai's eyes widened in shock as she turned around to see Shikamaru in simple black clothing.

Shikamaru smiled lightly, "I promised to protect you and your son... stay strong. I'll watch over you two," he spoke, his voice echoing slightly. Kurenai nodded in awe as Shikamaru walked out of her room. She blinked a few times as she realized that she had so much to say to him.

"Wait!" she called out as she ran after Shikamaru. She exited her room and saw him at the end of the hallway, his back turned from her. Kurenai stopped as she witness Shikamaru evaporate into air...

* * *

Temari was currently alone in one of the few tents Konoha had set up so the Suna reinforcements could rest before heading back. Gaara and Kankuro had left her alone, for she was currently crying. The news of Shikamaru's death was a terrible blow to her, for she secretly loved him. She felt someone touch her chin as the stranger lifted her head. Temari gasped as her eyes met Shikamaru's.

She instantly embraced him, but she was taken aback by the fact that Shikamaru was cold to the touch. She began to shake in fear.

"Come on, cheer up," Shikamaru said, his voice having an echo behind it, "You're a sweet girl on the inside. I was able to figure that out, Temari. I'm sure you'll find someone else to make you happy."

"But..." Temari began, but Shikamaru placed a finger on her lips to silence her.

"After all, you are one of the few girls to catch my heart," Shikamaru said. Temari's cheeks reddened as she continued to cry.

"I have to go now..." Shikamaru said sadly, "...I'm not meant to stay here."

"No! I don't want you to leave!" Temari protested, "Please stay! I need-"

Her words were cut off by a passionate kiss from Shikamaru. The two moved their tongues about as they embraced each other even more. It was a small moment of blissful euphoria, but Temari quickly stumbled forward. Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen.

"Goodbye, Temari... stay strong..." she heard him whisper in her ear. She wiped the tears from her face as she stood up. She wouldn't cry over him any more. His spirit itself had told her to be strong, and that was what she would do. It was the least she could do for the Martyr of the Leaf.

* * *

A lone figure stood on the uppermost balcony of the tallest tower, looking out upon Amegakure below. The eerie light from the full moon illuminated the whole city and gave it an unearthly glow. A light breeze drifted in the area, slightly rustling the man's orange hair. Footsteps were heard from behind the man.

"I see you have returned, Zetsu," the man said without turning around.

"It sure does take a while to travel by foot," Zetsu said as two thuds were heard, "_It would have been much easier if I could just eat them. Then I could teleport here _and_ have a full stomach,_" Zetsu's other half joked. The man stood up and turned around, revealing his unnatural red eyes with concentric circles heading outwards from the pupil. The eyes then changed to their normal bluish-gray color.

"I apologize for his rudeness, Pain," Zetsu said, noting Pain's flash of anger visible in his eyes, "you know how he is."

"_Oh, shut up. Don't make me eat your head,_" Zetsu's white half replied to himself. Or was it the plant that had talked?

Pain ignored Zetsu as he looked upon the two corpses that Zetsu had been carrying. Otoshi's corpse was in good condition, but he knew it was because he wasn't truly dead yet. Madara's corpse, however, was in a bad state, with most of the corpse charred from burns. A tear formed in Pain's eye, but it was soon hidden.

"Something wrong?" Zetsu asked, "_Of course something's wrong. Our leader is a big baby trying to look cool._"

"Madara promised he would return..." Pain said gravely while ignoring Zetsu's other half, "...what exactly happened in Konoha after Itachi and Kisame returned?"

Zetsu shrugged off his current speculations about Pain's relationship with 'The Superior,' Madara, and recounted what he had observed, "It was quite something. _How dare you ignore me, you fuggin' prick!_ That Shikamaru boy took Madara's amulet and somehow defeated the Madara inside. _Then he used up all of its power to resurrect everyone in that crapsack of a village... what a waste. Just like this body I share._ Fortunately, the kid used up all of his chakra during the process and died afterward," Zetsu explained, his white half chiming in during times.

"All of those collected souls..." Pain said as he wondered exactly _how_ many lives Akatsuki had taken.

"_Well, regardless, we need replacements for the three traitors,_" Zetsu's other half spoke. His black side then added, "Oh, I almost forgot. What should I do with Otoshi's corpse?"

"Place it in one of the capsules. The Ryuukugan could definitely come in handy," Pain said as he looked away from Madara's charred corpse. He looked up as another pair of feet could be heard approaching. Konan walked out of the tower and onto the observing balcony. She bent down and removed Otoshi's ring from his left little finger. Two sheets of paper manifested themselves around the ring as they folded into a paper butterfly, which flew off, carrying the ring with it.

"I've found two willing recruits," Konan announced.

"Who are they? What version of the plan did you tell them?" Pain inquired.

"A man with powerful psychic and elemental prowess, along with his companion: a girl who is an explosives expert with explosive blood. And oddly enough, they sought _me_ out, seeking to join," Konan said.

"That's odd. Only Tobi looked for us first, and that was only because Madara told him about us. Usually we seek out others. Did they, by any chance, know Madara?" Zetsu asked.

Konan shook her head, "The chances are low. No doubt the man, Zhale, used his psychic powers to find out information about us. He and his companion will be useful members indeed. Should I go ahead and recruit them?"

"Of course," Pain said. Konan turned to Zetsu and held out a hand, waiting for something to be placed into it.

"_I _knew_ I forgot to get the rings from those two corpses..._" Zetsu said. His black side sighed and shook his head, "Why didn't you wait to tell me when I was awake? You know he doesn't have that good of a memory. _Fuck off, at least I told you the most important task._"

"You _idiot!_ Konoha now has the very two rings we had to forcefully take back in the first place! How can the new members astral project without the rings!" Konan snapped at Zetsu.

"Well, I'm not responsible here," Zetsu said. His white half unhelpfully chimed in, "_Yeah, that kid revived Kenokami and Reiko, too, knowing that they realized their mistakes! So now they have two defected members in their village that also have the rings and the knowledge on how to use them!_"

Pain placed his hand on his forehead as he shook his head, "Fantastic. Konoha now has far more knowledge of us, _and_ two people that can observe any meetings we may have in the official meeting area. Oh well, at least Kenokami and Reiko do not know _too_ much about us, and it shouldn't be hard to find a new meeting place... Zetsu, that is your assignment after dealing with Otoshi's corpse. I'll decide how to punish you later," he said.

Zetsu sighed as he picked up Otoshi's corpse, "What should I do with Madara?" he asked.

"I'll deal with it. I can bring Madara back with the rest of Akatsuki's help," Pain said.

"_Really? How?_" Zetsu's other half curiously asked.

"You are forgetting that I am a god," Pain said, "now be gone, Zetsu."

Zetsu lightly bowed as he walked into the tower and began his descent to the room with the capsules.

"So you're going to bring back Madara?" Konan asked, "...are you going to assimilate him, or _truly_ bring him back?"

"The latter," Pain replied.

Konan gasped, "B-but that would take far too long! Why would-"

"Because we need someone to lead us, my dear," Pain said.

"Are you inferring that we'll be waiting until Madara is brought back before acting again!" Konan shouted.

"That is correct."

"But... you're _God!_ Why do you need someone else to lead? You've done fine without him!" Konan argued.

"You do not understand. I am a god, true, but since when have gods led others? The only interaction gods have with mortals is to either speak with them or to kill them. I have been cautious and unsure of my decisions during my role as the leader of Akatsuki. That is why I have not done much. If we truly wish to seize our goal, Konan, we need a suitable leader confident in his choices. Madara has attacked Konoha not once, not twice, but _four_ times. He would know the village, its strengths, and its weaknesses better than any of us. And our last two tailed beasts both reside within Konoha. A foolish choice, but a wise one at this current time. If we blindly charge in, there is a chance that they will defeat us. We need Madara, Konan. Do you understand now?"

Konan closed her eyes and nodded, "I do, Nagato."

"Good. Now go, recruit the two."

Konan bowed as she turned into a paper butterfly and flew off. Pain, alone again, gazed out at the moonlit city once more.

"Madara... you will be resurrected. It might take a few years, but once you are back... I know you will give us the order to strike, and we will win. And then God's judgment will be given to the world!

END

* * *

_(A/N: There you have it, my first ever finished literary work ever. All it took was two years... not bad, if I say so myself. Now, you might be wondering if there is a sequel. Yes, there is, and it should be up by the time you read this. It is called "Dawn of a Red Moon." So I'll see you over there, faithful readers!_

_An addendum: If you enjoyed this story, but wished for more, I am currently revising it. The new version, entitled "The Necromancer: Revisited" has better writing and new and extended scenes. It, too, is up now.)_


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